Domestic violence is one of the biggest reasons for unstable families and for child mental disorders. This act seems to have been accepted as one of the hazards of life in general and illiterate women in particular. Despite making fabulous achievements in every sphere of human activity, women have continued to suffer violence of different hues in silence.
Fear of retaliation and isolation deters many women from filing a complaint against their husbands. Hundreds of cases go unreported as women fear being thrown out of their homes and exposed to the vagaries of life. To a large extent, cruelty against married women is linked with the problem of dowry. No law can curb domestic violence because it is confined to the four walls of the house. Education, economic freedom and co-operative solidarity are the best weapons in their armoury. Unless women free themselves from their submissive attitude, no legislation meant for their welfare will have the desired impact. Instead of depending on the law alone thinking that it will ensure gender justice and erase the fault lines in our society, I feel, community intervention can also play an effective role in preventing domestic violence.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
