So what is it that we can term as "domestic violence"?All couples have their spats.All couples go through a phase where they detest and disrespect each other.In Indian homes,slapping a child for misbehaving is very common.Not all victims of domestic violence are physically beaten up.Not all victims are emotionally unfulfilled.So is Domestic Violence an abuse of power?A commiserable way to show who's the boss?
Domestic Violence needn't always be physical.It could involve making a person feel unworthy of her/himself.It could involve keeping them financially disabled forcefully.It could involve threatening or blackmailing a person about an individual close to the victim.It could involve enforcing a social isolation upon the person.A lot of times,these invisible scars run deeper and longer that the ones we can see.Domestic Violence of the worst kind is where sexual intimidation is involved.
Children invariably get involved in such horrific actions.It leads to low self confidence,poor decision making abilities,inability to trust anyone.Like in all vicious circles.most of these children grow up accepting domestic violence as a part of a normal life.In trying to protect their victimised parent,they pt themselves into a dangerous position.They often end up blaming themselves for all the wrong happenings.
While men and women can both be the victim of Domestic Violence, it is mostly women.A UN report says that as many as 70 % of married women, aged between 15 to 49 are victims of beating rape or coerced sex. According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau, a crime against women is committed every three minutes in India. The “common” crimes related to girl child and dowry already exist. Added to that,Indian women have a new problem to tackle-financial empowerment. The Hindu carried out a survey which showed that working women are facing more violence at homes. “Social disapproval, a sense of inadequacy and frustration and related stressors associated with living in poverty may increase the likelihood of men perpetrating domestic violence”,says Ms Suneeta Krishnan, an epidemiologist in RTI’s Women’s Global Health Imperative. The problem however, really lies in the mindset. A survey by the International Institute for Population Studies showed 56% of Indian women believed wife beating to be justified in certain circumstances. The reasons varied from going out without the husband's permission to cooking a bad meal!
So come on ladies, you do NOT deserve this.No “crime” is worth the trauma of domestic abuse.The Govt is there to help you.Step out and speak loud.
Legal Relief:-
http://www.indiatogether.org/manushi/issue137/laws.htm
