Domestic Violence

An issue that is very well known but is ignored the best

"Stand up against the wrong happening around you" his words keep nagging behind my mind. If only I hadn’t been dependent on someone my life today would’ve been different. It’s been 4 years I’m married to this devil and till date, I haven’t gathered up enough courage to punch him down. Just as I was about to put the curry in the bowl I felt a tug on the corner of my shirt, my eyes then met a pair of black eyes, Zara, my daughter “Mommy grandmother and daddy are very angry. They’re asking you to bring in food as soon as possible” she said picking up the plates and left. My heart clenched looking at her. ‘Oh God, I wish I could give my daughter a better life than this’ I silently prayed. I had to serve them before they lash out at me again, so I pushed away from the thoughts and was on my way to the dining area. My body froze just as I heard a tight slap and saw my angel on the floor. “She is teaching you that, right? How dare you back answer me” He barked. Fear and anger came rushing down in my veins.  Fear because he’ll punish me again and angry because he hurt my daughter for no reason. Nevertheless, I had to protect her. Gathering all my leftover courage I said in a low yet stern voice “Kelvin, don’t hit her. She didn’t do anything wrong. Hit me as much as you want but please don’t do anything to her”.  Just as those escaped my lips, I heard my mother in law’s humorless laugh while she said: “You and your daughter are the faults in our lives”. “Then why don’t you just leave me?” I politely asked. Both of them exchanged glances then she said “I need a housemaid”  followed by him “and I don’t live here so I have to keep her with a maid who wouldn’t run away and that is the only reason we won’t let you go” with that he violently caught hold of my wrist and led me to the hell to endure the torture. I didn’t fail to look back at my horrified daughter and show her a thumbs up saying “Momma is fine”.

“Momma?” I heard Zara sneak in through the curtain. Despite the pain I was drenched in, I sat up just to make her feel better. “Come in sweetheart” my voice came out broken. “I brought you a glass of water mommy,” she said handing me the glass. Her eyes glistening with tears yet she didn’t let them come out. I slowly gulped down the water and kissed her cheek. “Momma is all good Zara, don’t worry” I forced a smile. She was just looking down at her laps. Taking my hand in hers, she lifted the sleeve of my shirt only to see the fresh belt marks “After all this, you say you’re fine mommy? You are a liar” she said. I felt a pang of pain rush inside me. Not because she said I was a liar but because she had to go through all this pain because of me. Nevertheless, I had to comfort her. “No honey, this is just a little price I have to pay, to live here”

“We can go far away from here mommy?” she whispered expecting I would consider her idea. ‘Oh, how I wish I can take you somewhere else to a better place than this’

I had nothing to answer her, I just kissed her forehead and let my chin rest on it. Sensing that I had no intentions to answer her, she stood up angrily and yelled “See, you always ignore my question. You can run away if you want but I don’t understand why do you like to be tortured like this. Anyways, I just came here to tell you that I heard dad and grandmother talking that dad’s flight is tomorrow morning but he said he’ll leave today from home and stay the night in some hotel” with that she just exited the room angrily. I agree her anger is genuine but how will I ever tell her how helpless I am? No one to stand up with. Even after being a qualified engineer, even after working as an assistant professor for a year, even after having tons of brothers and sister, I stand completely helpless. Just because I wanted to give all my time to my new family I left the job, and this torture is what I get in return. My father, my hero died two years before I got married. My mother, brothers, and sisters say I have to adjust here just because they got me married to this devil, and I have to serve them till my last breath. I can not ask for a divorce because I need a home to live and I won’t get a job anywhere because it has been years I studied and I don’t remember anything. Now I'm abused by only one devil, and after divorce, I'd be abused by the whole society. Not only me but Zara too be a victim of this. When I ask my family like as in my real family they say I can not live with them just because I don’t belong to them anymore and that my daughter would have to face the world without a father. Even though they’re well aware of the fact that she is a result of marital rape. It was then I realized how my family who raised me all along just disowned me within a day. If only I had stood up for myself before it was too late. If only I could stop the beast before allowing him to change my life. If only I had acted upon the words dad told me before dying “Stand up against the wrong happening to you”, my life would’ve been different today.

 The story of every other girl in India which remains behind the closed doors.