Shreya woke up, startled, to the sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden floorboards. It was 2 am.
While the world slept, she shuddered at the thought of facing him. Never quite prepared for the arm-twisting, the yelling and the thrashing that followed every night.
Oh, how her bones were hurting from yesterday! No longer coping to survive, but willing to escape, anyhow.
But, how?
His alibi is that he loves her to obsession!
Every morning, after the worst is over, he profusely apologises. Can’t she forgive him this one last time?
After all, he loves her truly, madly, deeply.
(100 words)
(This post is a response to Julia Skinner’s 100WCGU (100 Words Challenge for Grown Ups). Her prompt is ‘Truly, madly, deeply….’ in honour of the late Alan Rickman. Do click the badge and join in if you wish to participate)
This post is dedicated to the millions of women all across the world who have been/are victims of domestic violence. The United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.“
Violence against women is a serious problem in India. Overall, one-third of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence and about 1 in 10 have experienced sexual violence. This figure translates into 27·5 million women who have suffered, and continue to suffer, at the hands of husbands and other family members.
Although most societies look down upon domestic violence, in India it is often endorsed under the guise of cultural practices, collective norms or religious beliefs. Indian families tend to view marriage as a private affair, much like the law did before the 2005 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. Before this law, there was little legal respite for a victim of domestic violence. Even to this day, marital rape continues to thrive in India.