Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most pervasive and complex forms of social injustice in India reflecting the entrenched power hierarchies gender norms and cultural prejudices that continue to marginalize women and sexual minorities. Although India possesses a robust legal framework designed to combat gender violence—ranging from the Indian Penal Code to specialized legislation such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act—the lived reality of victims is often starkly at odds with legal promises. This paper critically examines the disjunction between the legal mechanisms in place and the persistent social cultural and institutional barriers that obstruct the effective implementation of justice. It explores how GBV operates across multiple social spaces—domestic public institutional—and discusses the systemic failures in police response judicial proceedings and societal attitudes. The analysis also foreground