The fear of beating up a woman marks the beginning of wisdom in a man

By Otto Tendayi Mponda

I am of the belief that a women is a supreme being as she is capable of bringing new life into the world.
And therefore, beating up a woman should never be justified regardless of who might have caused the dispute.
Because when you beat up a woman you have beaten up a mother, sister and aunt to someone, which is why I have decided to revisit the issue of abuse towards women, in particular domestic violence, for my week 4 assignment.

Although the issue of domestic violence may be seen by some as old news, it still remains a big challenge in our modern day societies. I know it is a scary issue for many victims, but I believe that we need to address the issues that scare us, as it is in what scares us that we find what saves us.

In recent past there has been an increase in cases of domestic violence towards women by men around the world. A very recent example was the public bashing of women by four men that occurred in Ludhiana, a place in India, whereby the men in question beat up a helpless woman with iron rods as people watched on and recorded videos on their phones, simply because she had asked one of the men for her money she had lent him. Footage of this incident can be found on the following website although viewer descretion is advised:

The problem facing most women in Asian countries like India, for example, is that even the police and authorities themselves seem not to take cases of domestic or public violence towards women by men seriously when reported. It is my vision that governments of countries around the world look beyond their own political interests and try to address the plights of the abused women who may be silenced from reporting cases of domestic violence by political, religious and patriarchal beliefs in their communities. Human rights should be practiced at all times, by bringing to book any man who beats up a woman, in accordance with human rights laws.

Closer to home, l was also saddened to hear that two young men were disqualified from season 7 of last year's Big Brother Africa reality show after beating up their fellow female contestants live on international television. As a matter of truth, the violence towards women that was witnessed by many viewers on Digital Satelite Television on the 2012 edition of Big Brother Africa actually made me think of the may women who were silently still suffering from domestic violence in their current relationships and marriages across the globe.
What even angered me most was that one of the gentleman disqualified in last year's Big Brother house had beaten up his fellow female compatriot from the same country of Zimbabwe , just a few years after Zimbabwe had endorsed the Domestic Violence Bill of 2007 as a pathway to women's empowerment. At its inception, the bill in question was very much publicized and the whole nation was conscientised against beating up women and yet the Zimbabwean male representative proceed to violate women's rights at a very high profile event such as Big Brother Africa as shown in the following link below, something that surely left a lot to be desired.

Therefore, the message I have for women currently experiencing domestic violence is that it is never too late to make it stop and that courage and diligence may be needed. Emotional and physical abuse is not permitted by the law and it is your right to report such cases to your nearest authorities such as the police. If you fear identification you can anonymously seek advice from other women here on WorldPulse, there will surely be someone non- judgmental willing to listen and refer you to other useful organisations that will definitely help you with constructive advise.
Please do not suffer in silence, you can even confide in a friend or close family members so that you know you are not alone.

I would definitely love to be a Voice of the Future correspondent so that l can be able to use that platform to advocate for women's rights and their protection from all forms of abuse. Despite the use of street theater and music as forms of domestic violence awareness, I also intend to be involved in the initiation of one on one men's awareness groups that tackle the issue hands on.
Having said this, it is within my personal vision for both men and women to please fight against domestic violence and all forms of abuse by taking one stand and speaking in one voice.
Watch out for one another and lets advise each other accordingly,
as the emotional scars caused from any kind of abuse are far more aggravating than any physical pain.
We all need to stand up and make our voices collectively heard on online social forums such as WorldPulse.
It's high time we put an end to domestic violence once and for all, DON'T YOU AGREE?