By Kainat Sarfaraz:
“As I sat hunched over a stove in the kitchen, he came in from behind, splayed my back with kerosene oil, threw in a lighted match and ran away.” (Source)
This isn’t a one-off story and happens much more frequently in more different forms than you imagine. Over 70% of the women around the globe have faced some kind of violence in their lifetime.
Violence against women is a pandemic and what’s outrageous is that not only do we choose to stay silent, we also accept it. Violence on women exists throughout their lives across social groups and economic strata. It is what many call womb to tomb.
According to a United Nations report, one of the most common forms of gender-based violence is domestic violence. The silence over these issues only makes matters worse. A recent survey on attitudes found around 60 percent men spoken to have used violence against their partners. These alarming statistics call for a desperate need for change in mindset and acceptance of gender-violence in our day-to-day lives. We need to create a counter culture and social movement for zero-tolerance to violence against women.
