Let’s discuss actual prison, which is not always iron bars. For many women who experience domestic violence, “What will people say?” There is a lot of worry about. The jailer turned out to be. They keep injuries secret and make excuses, while simultaneously hoping for freedom and fearing social justice. It is a tragic struggle.
In a society that believes in the “ideal family”, a divorced woman is viewed as a loser, not a strong woman. The abuse kept in secrecy becomes a hidden story, while her decision to break the relationship is displayed. Is the status of an “honored” martyr really better than that of a free man? The society seems to be shouting yes loudly. Society conditions women to tolerate pain and often treats adjustment as a duty rather than a choice. Devendra Kumar, founder and director of Laadli Foundation, shares the fear of the ‘log’. ‘Kya Kahenge’ keeps women in abusive marriages.
Furthermore, social tags like “divorced”, “unsuccessful” or “characterless” create such a deep fear in the hearts of women that they even silence themselves when it comes to violence. Finally, for most women, the fear of being judged by society is still stronger than the fear of persistent abuse, thus revealing a significant social problem that requires immediate attention.
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Second Cell: Anatomy of a “Good Woman”
Girls are taught from an early age to consider the needs of the family first and to sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of the family. In the case of abuse, the victim feels the burden of suffering as a weapon against himself. Such a situation is interpreted as a betrayal of the partner, and as a result, the victim fears being labeled “selfish”. This fear often feels worse than the pain. In a way, it is considered shameful to leave a marriage rather than endure the abuse, so families may urge women to stay. This additionally supports the idea that pain is a normal part of marriage.
Third cell: The web of economic and social dependence.
“Where will you go?” This is not just a question; This is a huge danger. Returning to the parents’ home will mean not only pity, but also blame, while being alone is associated with gossip and danger. The family may insist that she remain in the marriage out of respect for them and thus compromise her safety for the sake of her social standing. Financial dependence and concerns for children are commonly cited reasons used to prevent women from speaking out or choosing to leave their partners.
The Fourth Sale: The Blame-Shifting Carnival
If she decides to say something, the blame game begins: “What did you do wrong?” “Did you forget about the house?” The focus is on his reactions, not his mistakes. Women who face injustice do not prefer to remain silent during the process of judgment and investigation, rather they actually find it better to join the fight. Society has a disturbing habit of celebrating a woman’s suffering, while almost never questioning the actions of the abuser. Emotional manipulation in the name of family honour, culture and prestige further traps women, making it seem that silence is the only option left.
His fear is not just the present pain; This threatens his future. She imagines celebrating birthdays alone, being excluded from couple celebrations, and her children having to deal with the stigma of a “broken home.” In the same way, the love of her marriage, though often troubled, now seems to be her only solace. This has not been swept under the rug. This is not a “cultural” thing. This is nothing but socially accepted torture.
It is the community that acts as loyal companions to the abuser and closes the cage door from the outside. Every time people gossip about a divorced woman, every time they associate a woman’s worth with her marital status, and every time they whisper “I heard he left her” they express with more judgment than ever before that “I heard he beat her up, people are adding bricks to that prison.
It takes unimaginable courage to break free from abuse. But asking a woman to fight not just a violent man but the ghost town of an entire “society” is a war on two fronts. Until everyone, as a collective, replaces the whispers with support and judgment from safe havens like, “What will people say?” It will remain the most effective chain binding women to their pain. It’s time we made the fear of being loud more dangerous than the fear of leaving the status quo. The verdict of “the people” should never be a death sentence.