When You Witness Domestic Violence...

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 17:33

Even with fast growing modernization, domestic violence is widespread across the globe. Reports of singer Rihanna going through violence in relationship and Mel Gibson being involved into abusive relationship revealed the fact of the evil existence even in the elite society.

With the growing awareness of domestic various organisations have been created to help the victims and give them the right they deserve but inspite of all this the existence of this evil continues. The awareness has still not reached far enough and people are still scared to take a step toward. Being a educated individual what do we personally do when we witness domestic violence. The other day while travelling by bus, I saw a man beating up his wife on the road but none of us went ahead and helped. So, what do you do when you witness domestic violence?

1.Raise Protest – When you witness domestic violence don't plunge in to the scene of happening immediately. This might get you into trouble as well which will in no way help the victim. Thus, your first motive should be bring the violence to a stop. Honk outside the door, whenever you listen to a woman being beaten up. This will tell the abuser the presence of people and get the violence to a stop. Then you might face him with a group of people.

2.Talk To The Victim – Don't jump into conclusions. Don't take a decision without getting complete information. Talk to the victim in the absence of family members and get to know the truth, so, that you know the path to follow. Most victims are reluctant to take a step because they fear ill fame of the family, being even more abused and for the future of the children. These fear creep up due to lack of awareness about the law for victims of domestic abuse. When you witness domestic abuse, try to spread the knowledge. Under section 498-A Of Indian Penal Code, the person accused of practicing abusive relationship will get imprisonment up to three years and fine. To lodge a complaint the person herself should be present or any of her relatives on her behalf. This section recognizes both physical and mental abuse.

3.Take Help Of Organisation – Take her away from the place of the incident and contact an organisation. These organisations know the best way to handle this problems. They have contacts with the best lawyers and know the other legal procedures to help the victim.

4.Mental Support – The harsh reality is that at difficult times sometimes even the near and dear ones don't support the victim. The first approach when you witness domestic violence is to extend your care. Victims of abusive relationship often lack the feeling of being loved and this deprived feeling leads them to suicide. Support them and help them hope that one day she will be out of it.

5.Contact The Media – Media now rules the society. It is best to make the issue graduate another step by contacting the media. News in the media is taken more seriously and also is a great source to set and example. It is also a great way of spreading awareness. Media support to the case helps make the procedure easy.

Follow these five steps when you witness domestic violence and make you own contribution in the procedure of eradicating this evil from the society.