In any marriage, there are going to be differences in opinion. Some of them may precipitate arguments. Some of those arguments may become heated. Some of those heated arguments may become fights. But that is where it SHOULD end. Violence in a household erodes the very foundation on which it stands.Indian society has a very serious dichotomy in its psychology towards women. On one hand, we worship various goddesses. We take long treks without any footwear to go and bow to Vaishno Devi. We sing paeans in honor of Rani Jhansi. Our economic center is named after Mumba Devi. But then, we negotiate dowry for our daughters like they are cattle. We burn someone else’s daughter if she was not financially beneficial. We kill our own daughters in the name of honor. Our national capital has so many cases of rape that citizens have become numb to it. But all that is somewhat extreme. In most households, the daughters are discriminated with subtlety. They are taught to be docile and obedient. In essence they are told that they have lesser rights than boys. Most women in India live and die under those parameters. However, the disturbing aspect of it all is the following stat: Around two-third of married women in India were victims of domestic violence and one incident of violence translates into women losing seven working days in the country, a United Nations report said.
Now, this report cannot be completely true because if you read the report, it says that a lot of the cases are not reported. So the number of two-thirds sounds like a generated stat rather than a real one. However, in a culture such as ours, even one case is a case too many. Hinduism has no room for this kind of behavior (Manuwadi scriptures notwithstanding).
As women in India are become financially independent, it is only expected that they will not put up with abuse and that is contributing to increased divorce rates. A real abusive marriage must end but ego driven difference is the worst reason for a divorce. A strong family unit is India’s greatest advantage over other democratic nations. If we lose it, then we are going to be in a worse shape because the society does not have an in built system to care for broken homes. It is responsibility of all Indians, men and women, to realize the strengths of our society and take steps to nurture it for the future of our children and our country.
Domestic violence should not be condoned by anyone. It takes two to fight but violence has no room at home.
This post has been precipitated by the latest case of an Indian IAS officer beating his wife. While violence cannot be condoned, domestic disturbance is a grey area. That is why I am rambling. A man beating a woman is something that makes me angry but it is hard for me take portray these events in a black and white oeuvre. Having said that, I think it is the man's responsibility to ensure that violence is kept out of any domestic dispute. That is a Hindu thing to do.
Two-third married Indian women victims of domestic violence: UN
As many as 70 per cent of married women in India between the age of 15 and 49 are victims of beating, rape or coerced sex, the United Nation Population Fund report said.
The article can be read at: http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=56501
Why are we immune to wife beating?
According to the National Family Health Survey- III, over 40 per cent of the women surveyed reported being beaten by their husbands at some point of time. Over 51 per cent men didn’t find anything wrong with assaulting their wives. More shockingly, around 54 per cent of women and men surveyed thought that such violence was justified on some ground or the other.
The article can be read at: http://in.news.yahoo.com/why-are-we-immune-to-wife-beating-.html
The picture is from : http://www.sahayogindia.org/pages/programmes/violence-against-women/campaigns.php
Original Indian mind treats woman as mother. Women were also like the motherhood, But slowly this is getting change. Even present day women do not like motherhood. This trend is the result of Western culture. Women want themselves to be treated and respected as Queen of Beauty. No doubt men are teasing and troubling them But why the concept of importance of motherhood has gone? This is the main reason for anger and violance, Anger is the result of non-satisfaction or Kama,(Desire). When men and women are not understanding that all the desires cannot be fulfilled and control of desire is very important to lead an hapy life, then and then only the domestic violence can be stopped. Religion and Religious teachings are playing very important role in this respect. No amt of law and enactments will do anything.
ReplyDelete