Domestic violence
Thursday, 24 July 2008
JUST the other day there was a piece of news in the newspapers about a Bangladeshi settled in the US who had physically assaulted his American wife. The man was a twice elected councilman of the city. The man, Shahab Ahmed, was arrested by the police after his wife's complaint. It seems Ahmed was having a cosy relationship with his secretary, a Bangladeshi maiden, and they were in a somewhat compromising state when his suspecting wife barged into their office and caught them red handed. There ensued a violent argument between man and wife whereupon at one point, according to the wife, Shahab beat her.
This is not unfamiliar phenomena, whether it is the USA or Bangladesh. It happens here, in the slums, in flats and in palatial retreats. It is either woman trouble, argument getting out of hand, result of savage potation, or just about any other domestic conflict from badly coked food to badly washed clothes or children making a racket. The males resort to violence as a ready solution to end the argument or just do it whether there was an argument or not.
Opposite to our flat is another flat (in the same building) where lives a very well-off family. The owner is a millionaire and seldom a week passed when he was not assaulting his wife. The screams of the battered woman and her terrorised children can be heard all over the corridor and even reached below to the guards but no one came to the rescue.
Once, we tried to intervene but the man was exceedingly rude and just slammed the door on our faces after informing us that what was happening in his living quarters were his business and his alone.
We had thought of calling the cops but were dissuaded by neighbours who said to get involved would mean more involvement with the police even the courts and so on. We had to do something we felt so. In the end we made an anonymous phone call from a public phone booth to the local police station and related the matter giving the man's name and the address.
No policemen came to the building as far as we know (could be they came in plainclothes and warned the man) but after a while the violence abated and it has been quiet now for over a month.
Shaila
Dhanmondi R.A.
Dhaka.
This is not unfamiliar phenomena, whether it is the USA or Bangladesh. It happens here, in the slums, in flats and in palatial retreats. It is either woman trouble, argument getting out of hand, result of savage potation, or just about any other domestic conflict from badly coked food to badly washed clothes or children making a racket. The males resort to violence as a ready solution to end the argument or just do it whether there was an argument or not.
Opposite to our flat is another flat (in the same building) where lives a very well-off family. The owner is a millionaire and seldom a week passed when he was not assaulting his wife. The screams of the battered woman and her terrorised children can be heard all over the corridor and even reached below to the guards but no one came to the rescue.
Once, we tried to intervene but the man was exceedingly rude and just slammed the door on our faces after informing us that what was happening in his living quarters were his business and his alone.
We had thought of calling the cops but were dissuaded by neighbours who said to get involved would mean more involvement with the police even the courts and so on. We had to do something we felt so. In the end we made an anonymous phone call from a public phone booth to the local police station and related the matter giving the man's name and the address.
No policemen came to the building as far as we know (could be they came in plainclothes and warned the man) but after a while the violence abated and it has been quiet now for over a month.
Shaila
Dhanmondi R.A.
Dhaka.