Parliament, in its special session and from its brand new building, has speedily amended the Constitution to provide one-third reservation to women MPs in the Lok Sabha.
But whereof domestic violence ?
Domestic violence against women is admittedly a universal affliction. However, we are concerned with the Indian village woman. Does her face show signs of being battered ? Trying to answer this awful question would also show us the (“glorious”) dissimilarities of our much-vaunted, hoisted on the pedestal, of UNITY IN DIVERSITY.
To begin with, instances of domestic violence are spread all over the subcontinent, as indisputably they are spread across the globe, in both developed as well as developing countries, in democracies as well as in dictatorships et al.
Studies by AS Altekar (The Position of Women in Hindu Civilisation, 1962) as also Iravath Karve (Kinship Organisation in India, 1965) more than half a century ago suggested that this sickening affliction was more prevalent in north India than in the south. But this geographical divide has since got obliterated, with men in the south having caught up with their male counterparts in the north in bashing up their wives.
Let me hasten to add, it is not as if all men beat up their wives. There are gallant exceptions. But if even a tenth of irate, incapable husbands turn to violence, in India the figure would easily exceed TEN CRORES or more ! Whew !,
And the sustained cause seems to be rooted in the descriptive epithet “powerlessness” of the female. Without adequate property inheritance rights, without effective implementation of existing laws, the female has little to fall back upon till their kids grow up, provided their male offspring’s once grown up do take up cudgels against their male parent.
While alcoholism does feed domestic violence, that alone cannot be blamed. Patriarchy also decides the extent of domestic violence. Because while there is alcoholism amongst tribal men too, but their patriarchical power being subdued the tribal female is less vulnerable to assaults.
But there is no doubt that less literacy/malnourishment/adult mortality amongst rural women, when compared with their husbands does indicate an institutionally disadvantaged positions, which added to low property status, makes the village woman very vulnerable to domestic violence.
Now compare this with the urban woman. Better education, better job opportunities, better access to Govt/police centres does make her more equipped to deal with domestic violence. And living in multi-caste habitat, as urban clusters tend to be, does not give the assaulting husband the protection of community/caste vanity.
So is the urban cluster more progressive for the woman than the rural habitat ?
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Naree Ki Awaaz….giving voice to the voiceless….a fortnightly column of stray thoughts…by our columnist, Abla Devi
