Syed Asma
While researching the pathetic report on the brides who were burnt (published last week), I came across many domestic violence cases, literally on the edge. Though their families are kind enough and have not set them on fire yet, still they are being victimized, each day, each hour, each minute…
There is a woman, a mother of a three-year-old boy, who is being tortured by her husband and mother-in-law for not bringing enough dowry. She is beaten every night! She works like a donkey and is made to sleep empty stomach!
In the middle of all this, her husband’s younger brother molests her, has even raped her, perhaps many times. When she hesitantly shared this with her husband, he casually responded, “This is your punishment!” She went to her parents, shared her plight, but was forced to go back to her in-laws family.
What next? Where to go?
Should she set herself on fire too? Or should she approach the law and get abandoned forever! She fears she will be labelled as a ‘prostitute’ for the rest of her life.
Perhaps, she is right. We will respond the same way, as we have in
Mehjabeena’s case! Just a quick reminder who she is, I know we all are busy in our lives to remember the small happenings around. She was a young lady charred to death, leaving behind two little daughters. Her in-laws were arrested by the police and a court case is going on.
Part two of the story is: her in-laws are now taking rounds of the news organisations and claiming the local press of being biased. For not listening to their side of story!
They accuse the dead Mehjabeen of ‘bad character’. If for a moment, I believe them, is it a fair reason to burn someone alive or create circumstances for it?
There would be many women who would relate to these situations. We claim to be a society with high moral values, need to introspect and look within!
We can’t always get away blaming women; instead we need to teach men, how to treat women!
