Beaten and blinded by husband

The horrific report of a young housewife's eye being gouged out by her husband and in-laws as part of their ongoing torture to extract money from her family, is a chilling reminder of the widespread prevalence of dowry related violence. Despite it being declared illegal, many women fall prey to their husband's or in-laws vicious attacks when they fail to meet their demands for dowry. In this case Shukhi, the hapless victim was often brutally beaten up by her husband for this reason. Her family, in fact had paid three lakh taka to help him go abroad for work. But this was not enough for him and his family. When he permanently returned from abroad, he and his family continued to physically torture Shukhi for more money.

The way her attackers - her husband and his siblings- tied her up and maimed her with a mobile phone tester- can only be described as barbaric and psychotic. But the fact is that there are hundreds of such men encouraged and assisted by their families who think that they can get away with such diabolic acts. One reason is that these criminals are seldom arrested and meted out appropriate punishment. Domestic violence, moreover, is still not seen as a crime by society at large. In some cases, it is even encouraged by misinterpreting religion.

For the sake of Shukhi, who may lose her eyesight completely, and for thousands like her, it is imperative that the law enforcing agencies make sure that all her attackers are arrested and given the harshest punishment for their crime. There must be a social movement supported by the government to stop the practice of dowry and a vigorous enforcement of the law that prohibits it.