Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak
knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.
– Shakespeare
First, we must understand what is the real meaning of violence. Violence is commonly defined as the utilization or intimidation of force that may lead to injury, harm, deprivation or even death. It may be physical, verbal, or psychological. According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are many types of violence. But today we shall discuss about ‘Domestic Violence’ which is a gender-neutral behaviour of aggression. Domestic violence occurs within close relationships and is also referred to as ‘intimate partner’ violence. Majority may think that domestic violence happens to women. But it can happen irrespective of gender. Most of the time, it might not be easy to recognize domestic violence against men.
In a historically male-dominated society like India, it is often challenging for people to accept that men can be victims of domestic violence similar to women. This could explain why domestic violence against men is not explicitly acknowledged in Indian law. Nevertheless, contrary to prevailing beliefs, the incidence of men experiencing psychological and physical abuse at the hands of women is on the rise.
As a result, NDTV news says, “In 2021, married men recorded triple the suicide death rate — deaths per one lakh people– of 24.3 compared to women where this figure was 8.4.” In absolute numbers there are 1,18,979 males dying by suicide against 45,026 females in India in 2021. There are some reasons behind such suicide cases. Men frequently feel hesitant to express their emotions, particularly negative ones, due to concerns about potential judgment. They may fear being perceived as weak, immature, or unmanly. According to National Institute of Health (NIH), high levels of emotional suppression are associated with increased risk of suicide attempts. If a man faces domestic violence, he tries to hide it from others and himself also. It pushes him to depression and insists him to end his life.
It is important to note that while laws like Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act primarily focus on protecting women from domestic violence, it does not mean that men cannot be victims of such violence or that they are always at fault.
Everyone should know (but almost nobody does), that in India, there are provisions under different laws that can be used to protect men from domestic violence as well. For example, the Domestic Violence Act of 2005 allows for the filing of complaints by men who are victims of domestic violence. While the Act itself is titled to protect women, the provisions within it can also be used by men to seek protection and legal recourse in cases of domestic violence.
Additionally, under the Indian Penal Code, there are provisions that can be applied to cases of violence against men, irrespective of the gender of the perpetrator. For example, Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), Section 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), and Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) can be applied regardless of the gender of the victim.
Famous literary theorist and Cambridge Professor Raymond Williams once asked his class, as recounted by his famous disciple Terry Eagleton (another renowned literary theorist): Since when men stopped crying in public? This is a very interesting question, and it interrogates the traps set up by patriarchy as it fashions a tough model of masculinity over the centuries. As per that age-old patriarchal model, men were supposed to be powerful, and they must not cry.
Cut to Twenty-first century.
Dr. Rituparna Koley
