Domestic violence

One of the worst tragedies, without question, that can befall a family is domestic violence. Nevertheless, it has been calculated that cases of domestic violence in our country occur at the rate of one per day - more often than not involving the maltreatment of a wife or child.

It is generally understood that domestic violence is aggression that takes place in the home, normally when a grown-up maltreats another adult in the family. Of course, children also suffer a great deal in these cases; the scenes of violence they often witness are extremely distressing and have a lasting effect. Besides, children themselves are sometimes the direct victims of cruel attacks.

Domestic violence may come under various guises. It may be physical or emotional abuse or even take the form of unreasonable, even unlawful, control of people's freedom to live their lives. The first two types of domestic violence happen when the victim is made to suffer bodily pain or emotional hurt, for example when s/he is insulted, threatened or frightened. The unlawful control of a victim's behaviour occurs when someone is prevented, either by words or actions, from doing freely what he or she has a right to do, as, for instance, when someone is kept from seeing a friend or relative.

It is obvious, thankfully more today than ever before, that a man has no more right to beat his wife than he has to assault a neighbour or someone else. In both cases he should face punishment under the criminal law and effective measures should be taken to ensure he cannot harm his family.

On the other hand, a wife has no right to insult her husband or act in a way that deprives him of his dignity. In fact, this is one example of moral violence.

Violence of every kind should be averted at all costs. Everyone, young and old, has the right to feel safe and secure in their own home but, when domestic violence takes hold, the home becomes an unsafe and hostile place to live in. Furthermore, the risk of being subjected to physical or psychological harm brings with it continuous fear and loss of the confidence which is taken for granted in a "normal" household.

The causes of domestic violence are several and varied - drunkenness, drug addiction, mental impairment, an aggressive nature, vindictiveness, conjugal infidelity and lack of proper education.

It is not at all easy to pinpoint, case by case, the remedy for the problem. The advice of a good psychologist or a trained social worker may be of some help but only in few and perhaps less serious cases; it does not suffice to rid the victims of this serious social disorder which can become a living hell. It is obvious that the only person who can stop the violence is the one causing it; but the victim, whether they are one of the married partners or their children, feel helpless and often do not know what to do or how to ask for help.

Children who are ill-treated by the parents or other adults may approach their teacher or a social worker. In some cases, it may be necessary to call the police. Some agencies have help lines, though sometimes it becomes necessary to seek refuge in a place where women and children can go to get away from the violence.

But something more radical should be done to eradicate this social evil. Education may be a great help to tame people with an aggressive character. However, the process can take too long and in some cases immediate measures must be taken. Legislation should be updated to offer better protection for victims.

At the end of the day, no one can deny that domestic violence is a crime and criminals, especially repeat offenders, should not be handled with velvet gloves. The state should be actively engaged to combat and penalise criminality and violence at every level.

It is a sad fact that few cases are reported to the police, for various reasons chief among which is fear of retaliation. As a result, only very rarely do cases get to court and we should take little comfort from the fact that the ones that do are only the tip of a monstrous iceberg.