Posted On: 2021-03-05 11:12:25
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
What is domestic violence? The term 'domestic violence' also known as domestic abuse or family violence is the exploitation of an individual in a domestic setting such as in marriage and cohabitation. Through the centuries whenever or wherever the term domestic violence is used, it is mostly related to the violence against women which is needed to be brought attention to, but sometimes due to this, domestic violence against men is left for obscurity due to the fear of social stigma, they do not lodge complaints or raise their voice against the injustices happening towards them. Multiple online crowdfunding platforms have “human rights” as a category where campaigns can be created to support the victims and can also be used to raise awareness.
SURVEY AMONG MEN AND WOMEN
According to the survey of 2019, 48.9% of men and 58.4% of women experienced violence at the hands of their partners at least once in their lifetime in the form of physical abuse, psychological abuse as well as sexual abuse. These inflicted abuses do not restrict to their respective partners but also their family members. Among these traumatized men and women, 20% of men and 47% of women took an effort to register a case against these crimes, while the rest have to face the traumas or run away from it and some may even take extreme measures like suicide. Nowadays most of the women are coming forward and are making their voices heard as they are supported mentally, emotionally as well as financially most of the times, but at the same time men, who report these crimes face social stigma, questioning their machismo and masculinity which does not only discourage men to not to file a report about the crime but indirectly it encourages these criminals and their violent crimes.
LAWS AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The cases about violence against women are handled sensitively under various laws for women's safety like Anti dowry laws Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, and later Section 498A passed by the Supreme Court of India in 1983, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) enacted in 2005. But when it comes to men the Indian jurisdiction at most times considers men as culprits and predators while women as victims, irrespective of the crime. As women in the past had no voice, they were manipulated and were treated like animals. But due to the difference in this law between men and women, it becomes tough for a man to fight for his rights and take a stand for himself due to the absence of laws that can protect them in these situations.
CASES OF VIOLENCE
A woman in Haryana’s Yamunanagar was burned alive by her husband and his family just 9 months after her marriage as her father was unable to pay a dowry of Rs. 1 lakh which was demanded by her husband and in-laws. She was later taken to the hospital where she was announced dead and when asked by the authorities they claimed that she caught the fire by mistake but her father came forward and explained the whole scenario and fought for justice for his daughter. But no justice can bring his precious daughter back.
Similarly, a case where the girl was pressurized by the in-laws and her husband for dowry, had to take the final step of committing suicide on 25th February 2021, Ayesha was only 23 years old, an innocent soul who could have lived a long life making herself and her parents proud.
Vikas, another person who was the victim of this violence, was a 26-year-old man who allegedly committed suicide on 22nd February 2021, by jumping in front of a moving train in East Delhi’s Mandawali. He left behind a suicide note given to the police by his family, stating that he was ending his life because of his wife and his in-laws as they were harassing him for money which made him commit suicide.
Bollywood actor who played supporting roles in Blockbuster movies like MS dhoni and Kesari. The 32-year-old, Sandeep Nahar actor posted a 10 min long video explaining the reason for this extreme step and his not-so-good relationship with his wife on his Facebook account before hanging himself to the ceiling fan of his apartment in Mumbai.
These are just a few cases that were highlighted, but there are thousands of more faces which we are not even aware of. This violence is termed domestic violence but it is no less than murder as the victims are forced to take their lives and are made to believe that there is no other free road on which they can walk again.
Women in the past centuries lived a life in fear where they were not able to raise their voice against violence and had to go through different tortures in life but now they have their rights to live according to their terms and will. The laws enacted for their benefit give them a voice, but now, men are going through the same issues as women were going through for ages. As the new age is evolving, women are getting stronger with every evolution. With the help of the media, activists, the internet, and other victims women are encouraged to raise their voice and stand tall in what they believe. Women now walk shoulder to shoulder with men. Similarly, the violence against men needs to come under the spotlight where the men can also raise their voices and fight back. It is high time the jurisdiction takes this matter seriously and implements laws for men too or by making the pre-existing laws gender-neutral for the betterment of everyone. Crowdfunding platforms are available to help these kinds of cases and the victims. There are even multiple NGOs and government agencies who are working to save as many lives as possible.
“ IT IS NEITHER OKAY TO BE SILENT NOR OKAY TO GIVE UP .”
Author : Hritika Singh
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