I Shared Some Insights on Domestic Violence at a Symposium

At a virtual event organised recently by Bengaluru-based White Swan Foundation, I shared a few of my experiences and perspectives on violence against women, especially at home. I was joined on the panel by fellow World Pulse sister, Kirthi Jayakumar.

Conversations on abuse often focus on escape and legality, but the issue of sustained violence is a deeply nuanced one. You are speaking about a human being, not a 'case', not a 'statistic'. This person has been the product of their environment and conditioning. If assigned female at birth, this person has at every step been told to tolerate, adjust, minimise, and swallow cruelty.

Imagine the slow erosion of self-worth that they live with. Imagine the lack of options they have laying in front of them. Imagine having children and fending for all of them alone with a gap in employment, or no employment ever. Imagine being looked at as a difficult woman, a woman who wrecked a home. Imagine being treated as a liability, a burden, a shameful 'thing'.

A person does not understand the issue of abuse if they are not committing to understanding the psychology of a victim or a survivor. When it comes to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), we have to radically change how we engage, how we intervene, and how we support healing and recovery.

If you are keen, you can watch the video from the event here: https://www.facebook.com/whiteswanfoundation/videos/2712817068961597/

⚠️ Trigger warning ⚠️