Hon Members,
Domestic violence is not limited to one country. In the UK a drunk hunsband returns home from the pub and takes it on the poor wife and kids. In India to a large extent and also in Pakistan, violence occurs because the women has brought in less dowry than was expected and/ or is guilty of producing more female children.
Main difference being that while in the UK & US, wife has the recourse to go to the law and get the perpetrator behind bars. In the subcontinent, the poor wife has to bear it as she has very little options. A women without a husband is considered a curse.
Domestic violence is more endemic in the poor and uneducated classes where
it is not considered a bad thing for a husband to occasionally beat up his spouse. In many cases, the mother in law evn encourages her son. Whenever I read about some poor women being burnt by a cooking stove having burst; I think it more than likely that it was not an accident.
Only solution is empowerment of women; getting rid of the dowry system and eliminating the stigma of divorce. Islam allows 'Khula' that is annulment of marriage if the husband does grevious bodily harm to the wife. In Pakistan there is also the curse of what is called a "Sharia" mehar( Dower). It is strange that while in Arab countries and in Iran, mehar is directly proportional to the status of the bride ( it is common to ask for a very large sum to be paid in advance), in Pakistan, more often than not it is peanuts. One of the Arab friend explained to me that a marriage contract is actually a contract of cohabitation betweeen adult muslim male and female and it is legal for a women or a man ( pre nuptual agreement) to put whatever conditions they like before they agree to live together. But since Pakistani culture is still largely a hindu culture, it is frowned upon to ask for a large mehar and whenever a women is divorced, it is asumed that she is at fault. Probably situation is worse in India.
There is a strong need in both India and Pakistan to set up charity legal centres specially meant to fight cases of domestic violence against women of their behalf. IMO physically beating a women, no matter what her fault, is the one of the most cowardly acts.
........
awwwwww 
