Domestic Violence against Women: Ways to fight back

Domestic violence against women is a very serious issue for our social institution. For centuries, men, in the form of fathers, uncles, husbands have committed acts of violence against women. In most cases it has been seen that the nature of the violence is physical or sexual. However, there are ways in which this social menace can be prevented to a large extent.

1. Be educated and informed: It has been seen that uneducated women have been the main victims of domestic violence, as they have no knowledge about their rights. Thus, one needs to be educated and informed about one’s rights in order to protest against any unlawful act of violence.
2. Prevent minor issues with equal importance: Women often neglect slapping, pushing and verbal abusing as minor issues, which instead provide confidence to the defaulters. These small incidents are also categorized as violence by the law and should be dealt with utmost importance.
3. Participate in social activities in the community: It is important for women to be a part of the local community and participate in social activities such as regular meetings. In this way in case of any urgency on issues of domestic violence, one can easily seek help of the community to solve such matters.
4. Be financially independent: It has also been observed in a survey that women who are housewives and are financially dependent on men are most likely to suffer from domestic violence. Thus, it is advised that women should find a job, and be financially independent so that they are not easily dominated.
5. Educate other family members about women rights: Men, who generally engage in domestic violence, are often unaware of the rights of women, or the laws that protect them. Educating them about the same would prevent them from doing anything that challenges the law.
6. Maintain your self-respect and have a say in domestic affairs: Women are often dominated when they fail to hold their self-esteem and give in easily to the demands of the men. Therefore women should equally participate in the decisions taken for daily domestic affairs, and make sure that their opinions are given due importance.
7. Seek help from the law whenever required: In most cases, issues of domestic violence are not reported to the concerned authorities in order to save public humiliation. This should not be encouraged, and legal help should be taken as and when required.

Women are the pillars of the society – they help people grow up, provide support all throughout our lives, and are the sole reason why human beings still exist. It is therefore extremely sad for the society when they face violence from their own backyard. It is a social failure, and its drastic consequences could effect generations to come. However, a little compassion and humanity from all can save us from this embarrassment. Thus, it is the collective responsibility of the society to prevent any such occurrences or take harsh and exemplary action against such cases of domestic violence against women.