Abuse in relationships is a major social and public health concern. Research on intimate partner abuse in India often exclusively focuses on marital relationships and there is a lack of research based understanding of abuse in non-marital relationships. This research brief describes the experiences and context of abuse in intimate relationships described by never married participants. The analysis reveal that emotional, sexual and physical abuse is common in these relationships. It also describes the ‘circular’ nature of abuse linking childhood victimisation with intimate partner abuse in adolescence and adulthood. This research brief is based on the data on 1240 unmarried young adults participated in the Youth in Transition Study.

The Youth in Transition study adopted the life course approach to understand the dynamic process of decision-making of young people. Adopting an innovative approach of collecting information using a relationship history calendar and narrative interview technique, the data collected from 1240 young adults provide important insights about the sexual health needs of this population. Based on the analysis several policy and program implications are described in the report.