Domestic violence

Sofia had an arranged marriage. Her parents gave a million Rupees and a half million worth of gold ornaments. The marriage rituals all went very pompous and in great splendor. The groom, an engineer by profession, was very loving during the honeymoon and for a month thereafter, the problems started cropping up after two years when they had a child, a year old. It all started with abuses, shouting, put downs, sarcasms. She was humiliated whenever he could or was around. Well, things went on and she suffered silently thinking that he will change. Another child was born and it was a boy and she felt things would improve

But nothing changed substantially and as years slipped by he started abusing her always and emotionally too. He used to attack her very soul with words and mannerisms that caused her a lot of pain and suffering. Her husband never took responsibility for what he did and he even blamed Sofia for his abusive behavior. Everything was here fault! He managed to isolate her from her family members and she was criticized and humiliated with denigrating comments. She was confined within the four walls of the house and her in-laws made her do all the domestic work even though they could afford a servant. Her partner had his own secretive life; she knew he was having an affair with a woman from his office. He would lie and withhold information from her and he would decide on things concerning them both all individually without even taking her opinion. He would not communicate without being abusive and was intolerant of her opinions. Living under such emotional abuse affected her health and she soon became a sick person. There are thousands of women like her in India who are blamed for every fault of the husband
Physical superiority has led to the dominion over and discrimination against women by men. Physical might is no more a criteria in human life and the rule by brute force is a thing of the past.

Let every male agree that gender based violence is a condition created by the denial of women’s rights. And
let him hereby declare to abstain himself from violence against women including physical, sexual or psychological violence in his family which include battering and sexual abuse of women, dowry related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation, bride burning, bride kidnapping, honor killing and giving virgin girls to atone for an offence.
Let him pledge, “If I commit any of these offences, I declare myself guilty and let the law of the land punish me suitably.”