Page 4 - index
P. 4
Preface
Dushmanon kee zaroorat kisey?
Zulm apnon ne hum pe kiye
(Who needs enemies?
Our own commit atrocities on us)
Girls and women are supposed to be safe, loved and cared for within families. Many Indians cannot stop
talking of Indian family values.
The 270-odd short stories in this booklet show another picture of Indian families, a picture which is
horrific and frightening. They give us a glimpse of what the cold official statistics tell us. For example,
Government of India statistics tell us that over 40 million girls/women are missing in India. They have
been aborted, killed or neglected to die, ONLY because they were girls. Forty million! More than the
entire population of many countries!
The 2014 National Crime Records Bureau of India report says that of the 36,735 reported rapes in India,
91 per cent are by known persons and only 9 per cent are by strangers. Another government figure tells
us that about 40 per cent of Indian husbands commit violence on their wives/life partners. This means
40 per cent husbands are criminals in the eyes of the law.
According to a research done in India by the International Center for Research on Women, this figure of
violent husbands is more than 50 per cent. This research also reveals that most perpetrators (husbands)
and even victims (wives) think there is nothing wrong in this violence. It is okay. It is normal. This is
how deep patriarchal thinking is in India in the 21 century even though according to Indian law, this
st
violence is a crime.
The emotional and physical torture and even murder of young family members who fall in love with
someone from the “wrong” caste, religion or class is another horrifying thing our families do to their
daughters and sons. Out of the about 60 horror stories of this kind in this compilation, about half are by
young men.
The violent treatment meted out to boys/men who do not follow gender rules or who are homosexuals
or bisexual is also well-known now. All this shows that in the present system, not just girls and women,
but boys and men also suffer because of our patriarchal, caste, religion and class-ridden mindset. The
fifty per cent husbands who are violent, I believe, were also not born violent. Our highly gendered
families and societies taught them to be masculine and violent.
Expressing Disgust on this Violence is a Good Sign
Satyamev Jayate (SJ) did an amazing job of lifting the veil of “izzat” (honour) covering our families.
Several meticulously researched and documented episodes in the three seasons of SJ showed the pain
and trauma of different kinds of violence going on in our families. They also showed survivors of this
violence; women and men, girls and boys, who refused to accept this violence, who spoke up and fought
and who now give hope and courage to others.
1
Dushmanon kee zaroorat kisey?
Zulm apnon ne hum pe kiye
(Who needs enemies?
Our own commit atrocities on us)
Girls and women are supposed to be safe, loved and cared for within families. Many Indians cannot stop
talking of Indian family values.
The 270-odd short stories in this booklet show another picture of Indian families, a picture which is
horrific and frightening. They give us a glimpse of what the cold official statistics tell us. For example,
Government of India statistics tell us that over 40 million girls/women are missing in India. They have
been aborted, killed or neglected to die, ONLY because they were girls. Forty million! More than the
entire population of many countries!
The 2014 National Crime Records Bureau of India report says that of the 36,735 reported rapes in India,
91 per cent are by known persons and only 9 per cent are by strangers. Another government figure tells
us that about 40 per cent of Indian husbands commit violence on their wives/life partners. This means
40 per cent husbands are criminals in the eyes of the law.
According to a research done in India by the International Center for Research on Women, this figure of
violent husbands is more than 50 per cent. This research also reveals that most perpetrators (husbands)
and even victims (wives) think there is nothing wrong in this violence. It is okay. It is normal. This is
how deep patriarchal thinking is in India in the 21 century even though according to Indian law, this
st
violence is a crime.
The emotional and physical torture and even murder of young family members who fall in love with
someone from the “wrong” caste, religion or class is another horrifying thing our families do to their
daughters and sons. Out of the about 60 horror stories of this kind in this compilation, about half are by
young men.
The violent treatment meted out to boys/men who do not follow gender rules or who are homosexuals
or bisexual is also well-known now. All this shows that in the present system, not just girls and women,
but boys and men also suffer because of our patriarchal, caste, religion and class-ridden mindset. The
fifty per cent husbands who are violent, I believe, were also not born violent. Our highly gendered
families and societies taught them to be masculine and violent.
Expressing Disgust on this Violence is a Good Sign
Satyamev Jayate (SJ) did an amazing job of lifting the veil of “izzat” (honour) covering our families.
Several meticulously researched and documented episodes in the three seasons of SJ showed the pain
and trauma of different kinds of violence going on in our families. They also showed survivors of this
violence; women and men, girls and boys, who refused to accept this violence, who spoke up and fought
and who now give hope and courage to others.
1
