Women from all walks of the society endure various forms of violence at all fronts but the condition of dalit women is appalling as they become the victims of triple subjugation due to their caste, class and gender. Violence both explicit and implicit hampers the dignity and self esteem of dalit women. This paper draws our attention to the spousal violence faced by dalit women and also highlights the theoretical concepts which account for the sadistic behavior of the perpetrators and the subservient attitude of the victims. An insight into the various theories like the social learning theory, the feminist theory, the evolutionary theory, the learned helplessness theory and the psychological perspectives accountable for spousal violence against dalit women forms the core of the paper. This paper reflects upon the perceptions of the dalit women on spousal violence as well as on the issues which need to be pondered upon to raise their self worth and dignity.
