With Fatima Sohail and Humaima Malik coming out with their domestic abuse stories, it looked like we the people are finally ready to counter that culture of violence against women.
But alas, we may have spoken too soon as local news outlet GNN took it upon themselves to ridicule this form of violence against women.
Here is the episode in question:
This is disgusting. GNN is mocking domestic abuse. Media has gone out of control. pic.twitter.com/zcrk9bb9ZO
— Ali Raza (@AliRazaTweets) July 27, 2019
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Domestic Abuse Is No Laughing Matter
Domestic violence or domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behavior, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or care-giver.
GNN’s recent episode of Joke Dar created a sketch parody about the issue of domestic abuse. And no, it wasn’t made in an attempt to spread awareness (or in good spirit, take notes from Sharmeen’s Obaid’s AAGHAI). Rather, it basically treated the whole thing as a joke.
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The show featured a woman with bruises all over her face crying and complaining about her husband. Based on her story, after she went through her husband’s phone he went berserk on her. While snooping is not okay, domestic abuse is a punishable offense.
Basically the show intended to normalize the practice of domestic abuse using humor. That’s clear based on the points they made.
Interestingly, the man playing the husband in the show goes on to justify his ‘pictures with other women.’
‘I am an actor and a director, I have pictures with women I have worked with, why should she check my phone, thats why shes bound to get beaten.’
To this, the audience goes hysterical and they all laugh about it.
Normalizing Domestic Abuse
Domestic abuse is rampant in Pakistan. The last thing we need is humor further normalizing the practice. Some women do come forth against this crime, but many are silenced by shame. The restrictions around talking about domestic abuse is largely due to a culture of victim shaming.
People who exhibit such patterns of violence towards women do so based on innate prejudice, a history of violence (learned behavior), or knowing they hold the power to do so.
These ‘issues’ should not be in any way used as an excuse for such behavior, because the choice to seek help on these issues (or not) was the abusers’ choice.
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Given the stigma around ‘not being able to make your marriage work’, and prohibition from moving out as a single woman, mostly women hold their silence on the issue. Married women sometimes have no other place to go. And often, families also become a key pressure group in ensuring silence.
That’s how women are forced to believe that this pattern of behavior is normal.
Perhaps the people behind Joke Dar’s recent episode may reconsider their recent episode in light of the Mohsin Haider and Fatima Sohail affair. Its not just celebrities who face domestic abuse but many others as well.
