The 3-year-old child picks up the phone and dials the only number he knows. He frantically sobs and says, “Dad broke a plate.”
“Did he hit anyone?” the receiver asks.
“No. He broke a plate,” the child sobs. “He was fighting with mom.”
There she sits on the black dining room sofa. Her back is as stiff as the wooden recliner with boxy cushions. Her eyes are red, worn out and wet. She stares ahead, with no sounds except for an occasional sniff.
Her children watch her.
They walk away.
The neighbors may have heard. They won’t say a word.
Walking with a swish-swash, the father rearranges dishes, stomps his feet and walks around the house. His forehead is creased; his glasses are removed, revealing his tired eyes.
This was not the first time.
In his world, the man is the authority of the house – and there’s no debating. It’s his way or the highway. The children and his wife must obey his commands. They should not have an opinion, suggestion or argument. Neither should they ignore, nor should they answer his questions.
The family members scatter and go to bed.
They fall asleep in the silence that will not be broken until the next morning, when everyone will pretend nothing ever happened.
This story was written to capture the taboo of talking about domestic violence in the South Asian community.
Statistics of violence in South Asia: http://www.wethewomen.org/entry/domestic-violence-in-south-asia-tolerating-the-intolerable/
“Did he hit anyone?” the receiver asks.
“No. He broke a plate,” the child sobs. “He was fighting with mom.”
There she sits on the black dining room sofa. Her back is as stiff as the wooden recliner with boxy cushions. Her eyes are red, worn out and wet. She stares ahead, with no sounds except for an occasional sniff.
Her children watch her.
They walk away.
The neighbors may have heard. They won’t say a word.
Walking with a swish-swash, the father rearranges dishes, stomps his feet and walks around the house. His forehead is creased; his glasses are removed, revealing his tired eyes.
This was not the first time.
In his world, the man is the authority of the house – and there’s no debating. It’s his way or the highway. The children and his wife must obey his commands. They should not have an opinion, suggestion or argument. Neither should they ignore, nor should they answer his questions.
The family members scatter and go to bed.
They fall asleep in the silence that will not be broken until the next morning, when everyone will pretend nothing ever happened.
This story was written to capture the taboo of talking about domestic violence in the South Asian community.
Statistics of violence in South Asia: http://www.wethewomen.org/entry/domestic-violence-in-south-asia-tolerating-the-intolerable/
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12 comments:
thank you for posting this.
we all need to be reminded.
Yes thank you for posting this.
Totally not acceptable. I wish women would stand up to abuse like this.
Wow. That is powerful. And so sad.
Agreed. Thank you for posting this. Domestic violence in the South Asian community is still rarely spoken about, yet we all know how frequently it occurs.
Have you heard of this organization before? http://i-appreciate.org/
Its so heart-breaking, but also I can see why women don't stand up for themselves. They think that the home he provides is of more value to their children than freedom from violence and fear. You can't blame her as living as a single mom in poverty is a frightening prospect.
Sigh this makes me very. very. SAD.
Heartbreaking. Well written too.
I wish it was on a more light hearted post but I have a question for you and/or any Muslim readers - did any of you catch the last episode of Community? Abed's cousin was a burqa wearing Muslim girl and I was interested to know opinions on the episode from actual Muslims.
Soda and Candy, I dont think any of us watch the show Community. I dont know what it is actually. What was it about? Is it a show they play in America?
Sorry I couldnt help but I think I'm gonna youtube it and watch that episode so I can answer your question. OR maybe one of our readers/authors will be able to answer ur question.
Sorry!
Yep, it is American - so I'm not sure if you will be able to find it, boo. I was really expecting there to be some kind of opinion about it somewhere on the internet, but not according to Google.
Im gonna watch the episode and let you know!
oh and CC watches the show apparently so she'll get back to u too!
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