Nov 28, 2024 5 min read

In The Face Of Domestic Strife

Srijeeta Swain, a resident of Chatrapur block in Ganjam district, was known for her empathy and active role in her local self-help group (SHG). Despite her loving family and two children, her life was marred by the constant threat of physical abuse from her husband, who occasionally consumed alcohol.

However, in a traumatic turn of events, Srijeeta’s husband’s alcohol consumption escalated, resulting in a distressing change in his behavior. His addiction led to physical abuse against Srijeeta, compounding her difficulties as her husband had lost his job and sought money from her to support his habit. Despite her modest income as a daily wage laborer, Srijeeta refused to finance his addiction.

Despite Srijeeta’s refusal to give in to her husband’s demand for money, a heated argument erupted one evening, centering on accusations of theft involving 2000 rupees. He flew into a violent rage, subjecting her to a brutal beating, leaving her battered and bruised. At one point, he even choked her, pushing her to the brink of suffocation.

Shockingly, her in-laws ignored her plight, siding with their son instead of helping Srijeeta.

After a traumatic episode, Srijeeta endured a night of silence before heading to the police station to report her husband’s abuse but ultimately changed her decision due to concerns about the potential social stigma attached to such action. However, having previously attended CLF’s Gender Forum meetings with the Gender CRP (GCRP) as an SHG member Srijeeta decided to turn to her for support in early February ’22.

Despite initial concerns about his willingness to change, Srijeeta’s husband proved to be very cooperative. Although he had a history of physical violence due to his alcohol addiction, he committed to seeking help and promised not to repeat such behavior again,

R Basanti Reddy, SAC member from Banabulapalli Village.

Initially, I thought of filing a formal police complaint against my abusive husband. But I didn’t want to bring unwanted attention to my family. Instead, I turned to a trusted friend and fellow SHG member i.e. GCRP who connected me with village committee that helped me resolve the issue,

Srijeeta

In a precarious situation, Srijeeta turned to the GCRP for guidance while preserving her privacy. The GCRP connected with the Social Action Committee (SAC) on disagreement of Srijeeta to contact women helpline- 181 for support. The SAC recommended to involve village committee (Samaj) for a quicker resolution. The SAC members called the husband for a meeting where he apologized for his actions and agreed to address his alcohol addiction and improve their relationship, signing an undertaking in front of SAC, GCRP, and village committee members. The series of meetings with the couple consumed almost 15days time to reach to a desired output. The GCRP continued to monitor the couple weekly for 2-3 months i.e. until June ‘22 to prevent any relapse into abusive behavior. As on June ‘23, the couple lives happily, with no reported incidents of domestic violence by Srijeeta.

In The Face Of Domestic Strife

Important Link

State Office

Head Office