It all started in 2005. He started torturing me for money both physically and mentally. He used to strike me with wooden sticks, punch me and kick me. I did not go to the police station because there was every chance my husband would find out about it. In Bhubaneswar, a 45-year-old Indian housewife, wishing to remain anonymous, suffered beatings at the hands of her businessman husband who relentlessly demanded more dowry money after their marriage for the entirety of a decade. She concealed the bruises on her battered body and remained silent, in fear of her husband, the collective opinion of her family and neighbors, and in mistrust of the police. In September, she was informed about a new ATM-type of machine, stationed in an accessible part of her city, that allowed women to anonymously report crimes. This news prompted her to take the the first step toward freedom. At the machine-booth, she recorded her testimony through a built-in microphone, detailing the years of violence she’s survived. Within days, her abusive husband was arrested and charged with dowry torture and harassment. This woman is only one of a small, but growing number of women in the eastern city of Bhubaneswar who are shattering the negative stigma associated with crimes such as domestic violence, dowry abuse and rape by using the Instant Complaint Logging Internet Kiosk (iClik). The iClik is the brainchild of Joydeep Nayak, head of Odisha polices human rights unit, who came up with the idea after the high-profile gang rape and murder of the 23-year-old woman aboard a Delhi bus in December 2012. “In India you will hardly find a woman going to the police station. If you have to empower the women (to report crimes), then iClik is a solution, he stated. Domestic violence in India is a complex issue. As with its impacts, some causes of violence are easy to see, others are deeply rooted in our social and cultural environment forcing victims to keep silent about their experiences, considered even as a normal part of their life. Fewer than 9% of women victims who have survived violent abuse seek aid. With the advent and, hopefully, the widespread usage and implementation of the iClik, more women will stand up. The woman who endured a decade of beatings now works as a social worker at a local charity. ”For women like me, who cannot go to the police station, for fear of further trouble and social ostracism, iClik is a great relief. I have told many women and girls to use the machine.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 02:35:44 +0000
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