Domestic Violence (Satyamev Jayate)

The root cause of domestic violence is patriarchy; a system which considers women to be a weaker section.  We always raise our hands on those who are lower to us in grade or who are weaker. One can never raise his hand on his superiors or on stronger persons. In our tradition, we call our husband “swami” which means owner. It signifies that the other person will be his slave. And that is how a wife is treated as a slave; who has to follow all what his hubby says. If it doesn’t happen then she is punished which in other words, is called domestic violence.

This dominance has a very bad impact on the children. Their behaviour reaches extreme ends. Struck with live violent acts, they can become quiet forever; be isolated and stick to their inner self. Secondly, they can become violent and start loathing their father for his misdeeds. Both stages are a sign of extreme trauma in children’ lives. It may hamper their growth. It will affect them psychologically and make them retarded in their thinking.

Patriarchy dehumanises men.  It takes away their emotions. Superiority or feeling of dominance makes them wild. But why does a woman keeps her silence even after being treated brutally?? Because, our society has taught us that patriarchy is the only way that we know and that we follow. Going against the standard patterns will challenge the masculinity and they become violent. Some men claim that they come home tiringly after working for the whole day and that tiredness comes out in a slap or two on our wives and that too for no reason.  They say that since they are bread earners for the family, it is their “right” to dominate their wife. But they forget that a family runs not on money but on the unconditional love and care of parents. Mother does not feed rupees to her children; she makes food and feed them. She does not let her children sleep on a pile of notes, rather she makes them sleep on a bed. Thus a man and a woman "working together" can only run a family.   Secondly it is the effort of a woman which makes a man ready for work the next day. He comes home, he is dead tired. He might have a bad day in office; got scolding and all. But when he comes home, it is his wife who channelizes all her efforts to let her husband regain his power and self-esteem. And how does she do it? She serves him delicious dinner, loves him, calms his anger and entertains him. The next day, she prepares breakfast, iron his clothes, and polishes his shoes and then that executive or that labour goes to his work.

A woman should dare to come out of the distress and raise her voice. At times, women back out because they are afraid of living alone with their kids. They hide their fear, insecurity, timidity in the name of their kids. They should rather make their will-power stronger and raise their voice. Because when a woman suffers, our nation suffers.

Equality is the antonym of patriarchy.  When you have equality in your life only then would there be true love. When parents live happily together only then their son will become a human and not devil (daanav nahi manav).