By Madhuja Barman:
Domestic violence at rural areas:
The possibilities of domestic violence is more rampant in rural areas. In rural areas, young girls are married off at the tender age of 12 or 13 before they reach puberty. They have little knowledge about sexual relationships which they are going to share with their husband. On the other hand, men are mature enough and they expect a lot from their marriage. When the women can’t fulfil the needs and urges of the man, he starts exploiting and man-handling her. She has no clue how to handle the situation and so she escapes to her father’s house. But there also, she gets no sympathy from her own parents and she is forced to return to her husband. When she comes back, the treatment which is met out to her is even worse and due to all these reasons, when situations go out of her hand and she can’t bear anymore then she is forced to end her life. But she leaves back questions like who is responsible for her condition and for her death; her parents who didn’t care to understand her situation, her husband who misbehaved with her or she herself?
Rural women are less or not educated at all, so it is difficult for them to find a solution to fight against domestic violence. They are not even welcome in their father’s family. No one wants to understand their status or mental condition. Sometimes, their own relatives hold them responsible for not being able to keep the man happy. Such social dogmas weaken a woman from inside and she is forced to take some drastic step which can put an end to her problems permanently.
Domestic Violence in Urban areas:
Well if people believe that only women in the rural areas are subjected to domestic violence, then we should think again. It is present even in the well-educated sections of Indian society. Even educated men who claims to have a rational mind and the ability to think and distinguish between what is correct and what is wrong make such grave mistakes of domestic violence. Even if they are educated, when it comes to giving women a position at par with them, their orthodox mentality comes forth. They can never accept the fact that their wife (better half) can prosper more than them and have a better position in the society. If a wife is earning more than a husband, it also becomes a reason for domestic violence. But it has been noticed that majority of the women in the fear of bringing bad name to their family, don’t open their mouths and go on suffering through all the pain and pressure.
However educated a man is, the wish for a male child is prevalent even in today’s society. Even well-to-do families wish to have a male child so that when he grows up, he can carry forward the family business or any family legacy. But the most important question is that can’t a girl do the same work which is expected of a boy? Women today have proved that they are no less than men in any field. Yet, in the greed of a male child, women have to face a lot of violence. The fact remains that whether a woman will give birth to a boy or a girl depends on the man or husband and not the woman. The sperm of the man decides whether the baby will be a girl or a boy. Then why is a woman cursed or ill-treated if she gives birth to a girl child. In any case, a child is a gift of God and it should be happily accepted.