The medical literature from India repeatedly reports burns deaths to be high among young married women mostly as kitchen accidents due to stove blasts or cylinder blasts leading to deaths. The interviews with survivors and their families indicate that there is a deliberate attempt by women to report all burns injuries as result of accidents in order to avoid any police investigation. This is true in cases of suicides as well as homicides. Almost all women reported experiencing domestic violence and therefore the linkages of burns injuries and domestic violence are strongly established. This studied silence hinders the development of any concerted response for prevention of burns injuries. The paper argues for development of a comprehensive health system response to domestic violence in order to address the issue of high burden on intentional burn injuries amongst young women in India.
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