Domestic violence: An issue in our society

I was born after four daughters in a family and all in our family were very happy. It was not only because I was a boy, rather than being born after four daughters. Hearing the story of my born day once every year, i felt that i could be better than a daughter, but deep inside i didn’t like it at all as every woman delivers a boy or a girl after 40 weeks. As days passed i left my teen age and entered the age of responsibilities. I could easily differentiate what is good and bad happening in our society right now. The major issue I found was domestic violence. Today I am realising why birthing boys in a family results in more happiness than girls. When a girl child is born, her parents give every right to her. Be it her choice in studies or a dress she wants to wear. Every time her parents think that after her marriage she has to live with some other family where maybe this right won’t be given to her so we’ll try to fulfill her every wish, dreams and desires. As time passes she gets married with a guy and adjusts herself where everything is new for her. Before marriage it was she, who would decide for everyone but now it’s everyone, who would decide for her. Every word she says and every act she does matters because she is new at home and when her actions and words don’t get matched with her husband and in-laws then a hate feeling gets developed for the girl. This hate feeling turns into harsh language and that further turns into domestic violence.
In India 1 in every 3 women are suffering from domestic violence in which 1 in every 10 reports the issue and the rest think about their self respect and become the victims by suiciding.
When policies are implemented they are directed to progressively melt the iceberg of domestic violence, more resources need to be allocated at different levels like health settings, law enforcement, community services, support programmes for the victims. Ensuring full support to the victim from the government side so that they can trust and their voice could be heard.
In 2020, between March 25 and May 31 about 1,477 complaints of domestic violence were made by women. This 68-day period recorded many more complaints than those received between March and May in the previous 10 years. Among the 14% of victims who sought help, only 7% reached out to relevant authorities — the police, doctors, lawyers or other social service organisations. But more than 90% of the victims sought help only from their immediate family. Public education campaigns need to transmit the idea of social responsibility in issues of domestic violence as the cases get increased day by day. Greater social response (in particular of those who know but choose not to tell) would help break the climate of social tolerance, thus increasing the costs for perpetrators, and acting as a deterrent. Policies should promote training and education to raise awareness about the rights of any gender and appropriate responses to the disclosure of intimate partner violence in health settings. When policies are implemented they are directed to progressively melt the iceberg of domestic violence, more resources need to be allocated at different levels like health settings, law enforcement, community services, support programmes for the victims. Ensuring full support to the victim from the government side so that they can trust and their voice could be heard. It’s rightly said by Queen Rania of Jordan that, “If you educate a woman, you educate a family, if you educate a girl, you educate the future.” And because of women you are, so respect them.
( The author is a student of Economics at Kashmir University. Views are his own)
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