Abstract

BACKGROUND: Violence, injuries, and preventable harms affecting tribal women and children in India may arise across diverse contexts, yet their full range and distribution remain insufficiently characterized.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the forms and contexts of violence, injuries, and preventable deaths affecting tribal women and children in India.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive newspaper-based analysis of publicly reported incidents involving tribal women and children. Incidents were classified by type of harm, intentionality, and reported contextual factors. Categories included homicide and attempted homicide; suicide and suspected suicide; non-lethal violence, abuse, and exploitation; structural or preventable non-violent deaths; and accidental or unintentional deaths and injuries.

RESULTS: We identified 103 incidents involving 138 victims. Interpersonal violence accounted for 75.7% of incidents (n = 78), while 24.3% (n = 25) involved self-directed harm, accidental injuries or deaths, or structural and preventable deaths. Homicide and attempted homicide were most common (44.7%, n = 46), followed by non-lethal violence, abuse, and exploitation (31.1%, n = 32). Domestic violence was the leading context for homicide and attempted homicide. Women and children comprised 85.0% (n = 117) of victims. Harms occurred in households, communities, conflict-affected settings, and contexts shaped by limited healthcare access, infrastructure, and institutional response.

CONCLUSIONS: Harms affecting tribal women and children extend beyond interpersonal violence to include self-directed, accidental, and structurally mediated harms.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.