Dear Women, There Is Nothing Attractive About Enduring Pain

Abused women generally tend to believe that the only thing which will get them out of their misery is if they keep enduring the pain and suffering. Whether physical or emotional, no woman should ever endure abuse in the name of family. They shouldn't be keeping up with the toxicity of a dysfunctional household. Dear abused women, you are not alone and you must do what is best for you.

Even in the 21st century where there's an endless discussion regarding women's rights and empowerment, women are abused almost every day. While women have emerged as equals to men in almost all fields, their lives still remain endangered as there still remain those who believe men are superior to women. There are still millions of women who are raped, tortured, assaulted and abused on a daily basis.

According to a report by National Commission for Women, more than 2,300 complaints were registered regarding domestic violence between January and May 2021. The report also mentioned that while most of the domestic violence cases were registered in Uttar Pradesh, the highest rate of complaint rate came from Delhi. According to the data by NFHS-5, 70% of the women who faced physical violence did not even inform anyone about it. Out of those who did, only a few approached authorities to take proper action.

Many abused women are either too scared or too conscious about their family's reputation to take a strict action against their perpetrators. Since their childhood, women are conditioned to serve their husbands and his family despite anything. Women are taught to live for the happiness of their family and husband irrespective of their own. Even when a woman is abused, they are often blamed about upsetting the husband or not being a "good" wife to him.

An "ideal" wife, according to the society, is the one who puts the happiness and needs of her husband and other family members' above her own. She is submissive to her husbands demands and complies to each of his wishes, whether they may be rational or irrational. For this, they often endure the pain and abuse to cater to the needs of their husbands as well as expectations of the society.

Women are hushed while they keep up with the abuse in the hope that it may get reduced over time. However, their silence is taken as consent while they keep living with the torture in order to maintain the social respect and dignity.

Why is it that it is the women who are blamed and shamed for the abuse they endure? Dear abused women, please stand up for yourselves and speak up against the injustices you've endured. It's high time that you take a step towards your happiness and put your perpetrators behind the bars. Your story needs to be told so that more women can stand up for the injustice against them.

Suggested Reading: When Will We Acknowledge That Emotional Violence Is Abuse?

Dear society, please teach the daughters to not tolerate a toxic home as well or a toxic relationship. Teach them to be independent financially as well as emotionally so that they can step out of an emotionally draining and abusive relationship without the fear of being abandoned.

Pain is something women start feeling and enduring very early in their life. They get their body hair waxed and muffle their screams in front of parlour woman and do the same when they are tortured behind closed doors. They reason with themselves when they are abused and try to find out where they went wrong instead of feeling anger towards their abusers. This habit of blaming oneself and enduring pain and suffering does not leave many women till they reach their death bed.

Views expressed by the author are their own.