I'm going to use derogatory terms because that's how men think --

In most cases, if you get married, you're kind of off the hook.

A lot of guys won't stop harrassing a girl if she is single and even if she has a boyfriend. But as soon as, she gets married, they start thinking of her as other man's legitimate property and now she is "used" already so there's is no point in pursuing her.

So basically majority of men only respect other men when it comes to ownership of woman. A single woman is owned by nobody and hence very easy target for harrassment and even SA.

Having said that, of course a lot of married women get SAed by people other than their respective husbands. But for a considerable chunk of women, marriage is a protection.

This is everywhere. Not just in India.