On Monday, three Berbice men appeared in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo charged with three very similar offences; all three had given their wives “lashes”; all three were at first remanded to prison then placed on bonds of a year each to keep the peace failing which they would be imprisoned for one year.
This trio, who apparently were not acquainted with each other, had each assaulted his wife with a piece of wood. In one case it was because the wife had gone to lodge a complaint with her spouse’s father following a misunderstanding they had, which quite possibly might have involved violence. This enraged the husband who inflicted injuries on his wife using a wooden bicycle bar.
In the second instance, the wife reportedly went to purchase chicken at a shop nearby, without first seeking her husband’s permission. For this, it would appear, she was beaten with a piece of wood and injured.
In the third case, the man was under the influence of alcohol when his wife turned up at his mother’s home and he assaulted her. According to the charge, he first beat her with his fists and then with a wooden stave, which he pulled from a fence; she was injured.
Though it was not stated in any of the cases that there was prior or ongoing physical abuse in any of the relationships, if one reads between the lines it becomes obvious that there must have been. The underlying theme that is also apparent in these three cases is that of power and control. Each of the women was beaten because of something they did; they were being punished. In the
first case, it was because the wife dared to complain about her husband’s treatment of her to her father-in-law; her husband did not approve. In the second case, the husband’s disapproval came about because his wife went to the shop without his permission. In the third instance, the wife incurred her husband’s displeasure because she went to his parents’ home where he was consuming alcohol.
Fortunately, these women have now been empowered and they have obviously come to realize that relationships are not about taking blows. They got the legal justice system involved and their husbands were refused bail on their first court appearance. It would appear also that the three husbands had bad experiences in jail as they expressed regret over the physical abuse meted out to their wives and promised not to repeat their actions. Whether they can keep those promises is another matter.
These cases drive home the reason why today’s ‘Break the Silence; Stop the Violence’ event is so important. The organizations and individuals behind it recognize the need for women to speak out. They are aware that hiding domestic violence only serves to make it worse. Men and women must be given the encouragement and the fora to stand up and speak out against this plague whenever and wherever it is found.
More sectoral involvement is being fostered with the holding of this event which can only redound to the benefit of every person who is a victim of violence or is otherwise affected by it. There will be no curbing of the epidemic of physical abuse in relationships and domestic settings until those on the receiving end are sufficiently empowered, enabled and inspired to say ‘enough’ and to demand justice for the crimes constantly being committed against them.
