Spring Break
Domestic violence: A worldwide issue
Furrah Qureshi
Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Ed-Op
It was Wednesday, and the latest issue of Vogue was out, so I was at the grocery store picking it up when a woman brushed against my shoulder as she skimmed across the open pages of a glossy tabloid magazine. We exchanged quick smiles, hers from behind her sunglasses - when suddenly her apparent husband grabbed her arm, called her an awful and explicit word (unfit for even an R-rated movie), and literally dragged her away while she staggered behind him in agony, silently, from behind her big sunglasses.
And I must admit, I felt decidedly stupid watching the couple disappear as I stood holding the unopened Vogue, all the while developing a stomach ache.
I feel like sunglasses are the perfect metaphor for how hard it really is to be a victim of domestic violence. These women are able to see the world, but only through their darkened and distorted shades of reality. They hide behind these sunglasses, sad and tired, not revealing their eyes, which I imagine reveal just how sad they really are.
The hardest part about this issue is that it is so pervasive. It can happen in a place 10 minutes from you, 10 miles from you, in any house on any continent at any time.
When the "Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005" was passed in India it was a victory for all Indian women. But in Jharkhand, the police aren't making use of this new shield against domestic violence. Raj Kumar's article, "Lazy police ignore new law to protect women," published May 2 in The Telegraph - Calcutta, reported that the Jharkhand police have "yet to book a case under the new law." Kumar states, "Even the all-woman police station is yet to book a case under the new law."
Part of the problem is that women that are being abused do not know about the legal protection they have. Kumar also reported that, "at some police stations, the use of the law was discouraged as those manning them felt the law wasn't needed in the first place."
On April 22, a Seattle woman was stabbed to death with a kitchen tool by her husband in front of their two children. Some people would say that that was inhumane. Sadly, I would say that that type of brutality is something that only a human is capable of.
And I must admit, I felt decidedly stupid watching the couple disappear as I stood holding the unopened Vogue, all the while developing a stomach ache.
I feel like sunglasses are the perfect metaphor for how hard it really is to be a victim of domestic violence. These women are able to see the world, but only through their darkened and distorted shades of reality. They hide behind these sunglasses, sad and tired, not revealing their eyes, which I imagine reveal just how sad they really are.
The hardest part about this issue is that it is so pervasive. It can happen in a place 10 minutes from you, 10 miles from you, in any house on any continent at any time.
When the "Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005" was passed in India it was a victory for all Indian women. But in Jharkhand, the police aren't making use of this new shield against domestic violence. Raj Kumar's article, "Lazy police ignore new law to protect women," published May 2 in The Telegraph - Calcutta, reported that the Jharkhand police have "yet to book a case under the new law." Kumar states, "Even the all-woman police station is yet to book a case under the new law."
Part of the problem is that women that are being abused do not know about the legal protection they have. Kumar also reported that, "at some police stations, the use of the law was discouraged as those manning them felt the law wasn't needed in the first place."
On April 22, a Seattle woman was stabbed to death with a kitchen tool by her husband in front of their two children. Some people would say that that was inhumane. Sadly, I would say that that type of brutality is something that only a human is capable of.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Lynn
posted 5/11/08 @ 8:37 AM EST
Excellent article. Accurate in many areas and delivered succinctly and passionately with wisdom. The author has done her homework.
Well done.
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