Kerala Women’s Commission Chief Tells Domestic Violence Victim To Keep Suffering, Gets Backlash
Ever since the coronavirus has plagued our country, there has been a surge of domestic violence cases. Thousands of helpless women locked in their homes with their assailant, being subjected to nightmarish torment with no one or nowhere to turn to. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine. What’s graver is that instead of helping these women and making attempts to curb domestic violence, our government is turning a blind eye to the problem and hoping to sweep it under the rug. But this isn’t something that will go away if ignored, it’s going to spin out of control. It’s a shame that they don’t know that.
Although, based on recent incidents, I don’t think our authorities care enough to listen to reason. Recently, the Kerala Women’s Commission chief MC Josephine made questionable remarks to a domestic violence victim. I was shocked by her tone, her expressions and the fact that she told the victim that if she doesn’t want to file a police complaint then she should suffer. Remind me again, why is she the Kerala Women’s Commission chief again?
This disappointing incident took place when MC Josephine was taking complaints via phone on a live television programme on Manorama News. A woman who introduced herself as Libina called in from Eranakulam, Kerala, to talk about the abuse she was being subjected to at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law. A video of the entire conversation has gone viral on social media. In it, you can clearly hear MC Josephine speaking to Libina in a frustrated tone from the get-go. Like she was doing Libina a favour by speaking to her.
Please go through the video and understand how Kerala Women's Commission chairperson M.C. Josephine dealing with a poor woman who called her for help and how she is treated, Kerala model. pic.twitter.com/slqSoaB7AX
— Rocket Scientist 🇮🇳 (@Rockumon) June 24, 2021
Kerala Women’s Commission chief was getting irked by the fact that there was too much disturbance on the line. She kept snapping at Libina and asking her what all the noise in the background was. Amid all that chaos, we learned that Libina got married in 2014 and has been a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband and mother-in-law. After she shared this information, MC Josephine asked her if she had children. But there was some network issue because of which Libina couldn’t hear her clearly. This made just MC Josephine angrier.
Libina’s answers seemed to make her uneasy and she kept interrupting. It was almost as if she was more bothered by the background noise and network issues than she was by the condition of this woman. Because who needs sensitivity, right?
Eventually, MC Josephine asked Libina if her husband had ever physically abused her. Libina replied saying he had. To which MC Josephine asked her why she hadn’t filed a police report. When Libina said she’d never filed an FIR nor had she told anyone about the abuse, MC Josephine replied to this saying that if she isn’t willing to approach the police, she should just continue to suffer. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what a state women’s commission chief tells a domestic violence victim. It’s no wonder we’re in the sewers when it comes to women’s safety.
MC Josephine lost her calm during a live television show when a woman called in to speak about her husband and mother-in-law beating her up at home.https://t.co/ePcn2uhol7
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) June 25, 2021
Also Read: Madras HC Says It’s Unfortunate The Domestic Violence Act Isn’t Equipped To Deal With False Accusations Against Husbands
MC Josephine is receiving severe backlash on social media for the way she handled the situation. A lot of netizens are calling for her resignation. However, according to reports, MC Josephine tried to justify her behaviour and remarks by saying that women aren’t willing to listen despite explanations and that a police report will only make their cases stronger. It should be noted that she hasn’t even tried to apologise. However, much to everyone’s surprise, MC Josephine resigned from her post as the Kerala Women’s Commission Chief.
This whole incident is beyond shameful and her resignation doesn’t change the fact that misogyny is extremely internalized in our society. That’s the issue we have to tackle. It doesn’t take a genius to know that delicate situations like domestic violence cases require compassion and sensitivity. MC Josephine didn’t have a shred of either.
