Daily Times

A heart-wrenching video of the brutal torture of a woman, because a fully grown man could not bear hunger pangs for a few minutes, has once again exposed the inhuman conditions in which an unbelievable number of wives and daughters-in-law are forced to live. That the horrific onslaught occurred before the eyes of her helpless children must have crept on the victims as a double whammy: how to protect herself while standing up for the mental well-being of those traumatised beings.

Now that a coerced statement has ensued from her side, a heated faultline has divided the social media. Sandwiched between women activists slamming her reaction for pumping more air into the impunity bubble and vicious criticism of state institutions for failing to deliver on their constitutionally mandated duties towards the security and welfare of both men and women, the tragic ordeal of the poor woman is bound to lose its impact.

There’s no denying the judicial precedent of statutory authorities using corroboratory evidence to seek conviction despite the victim resiling her testimony. No matter how pressurised she may feel to conform to societal standards of a docile family member, the state needs to unleash the full force of the law upon anyone who dares subject the vulnerable members to the torture of any kind. But just a cursory glance at the seeming convenience with which men of our country have murdered women for far slighter “mistakes” reinforces the constant aura of fear and apprehension in houses rife with patriarchal notions.

Instead of sharpening claws against the victims and their desperation to live through the day, why does society not make an example of its holier-than-thou men whose whims and wants continue to dictate millions of lives? With no financial stability and languishing at the mercy of a judicial system that has yet to embrace them as equals, what else are these women supposed to do other than play their part of ostriches-burying-heads-in-the-sand? Their muffled screams hang heavy in the air. *