About CANDLE-Dispel The Darkness Of Domestic Violence in Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli

Domestic violence is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behavior by any member in an intimate relationship family, marriage, dating, cohabitation or even friends. The term “domestic” does not really translate into being within the confines of a home but rather refers to the type of relationships involved than the actual place where the violent act occurs. A frequent perception of domestic violence is that it is limited to just physical harm perpetrated by an intimate member. Violence, however, is not restricted to only this but extends into any kind of verbal, visual or emotional abuse that has the effect of hurting or degrading the victim.

The magnitude and universality of the issue of domestic violence often goes unrealized. Domestic violence is present in every country, cutting across boundaries of culture, class, education, income, ethnicity and age. Moreover, when the violence takes place within the home, as is very often the case, the abuse is effectively condoned by the tacit silence and the passivity displayed by the state and the law-enforcing machinery. The global dimensions of this violence are alarming, as highlighted by studies on its incidence and prevalence. No society can claim to be free of such violence, the only variation is in the patterns and trends that exist in countries and regions. Women are, by large, the most victimized but children and the elderly are also extremely vulnerable.

What causes domestic violence? There is no one single factor to account for these acts of violence. Several complex and interconnected, institutionalized social and cultural factors play a role. There are wide variations amongst these factors leading to huge differences in what is perceived as violence in different cultures. A few factors that most commonly perpetuate domestic violence are ; customs of marriage (bride price/dowry), belief in inherent superiority of men, alcoholism/drug abuse, cultural definitions of appropriate sex roles, illiteracy and notions of family being private and beyond control of laws and the state.

The effects of violence in one’s home are far-reaching and extremely potent. Apart from the myriad health problems, constant abuse can cause severe mental and emotional scarring leading to a variety of mental dysfunctions. In extreme cases, domestic violence has translated into murder or has pushed a person to commit suicide. Children who have simply witnessed domestic violence have shown major emotional stunting and development of psychopathic tendencies. With such intense consequences, domestic violence is hardly an issue that we can afford to ignore.