Chowringhee: When a victim of domestic violence internalises her pain and continues to seek matrimonial protection from her husband, no law can help. This was the verdict delivered by a panel of high court judges at a talk on access to justice for victims of gender-based violence.

Justice Protik Prakash Banerjee advocated economic emancipation as the way to end gender-based violence, advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya asked people to fight gender stereotypes and justice Joymalya Bagchi sought to define gender-based violence.

"Is gender-based violence a crime against women alone? It evolved from the Roman principle of genus which means kind. So any form of violence against less powerful people, mainly women, was gender-based violence," he said at Lincoln Room, American Center, on Friday.

When an activist from the audience asked about violence against men, Bagchi said: "Ninety per cent of gender-based violence occurs against women. And it permeates borders, societies, institutions irrespective of social, cultural, economic factors."

"We do not have dearth of laws to deal with gender-based violence post the Nirbhaya case. But laws are useful when they are enforced properly," said academic Kavita Singh of National University of Juridical Studies.

Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya pointed out that the scales are heavily tilted against women who are socio-economically deprived. "The first problem is lack of information. Women don't know the laws, which agencies to go to, when to go. And then there is a lack of resources," she said.

Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya talked about a need for a change in society and power structure.