Who are you talking with? Are you sleeping with him? Why was he smiling at you? Why were you 5 minutes late from the office? Are you seeing someone? Who are you messaging? Are you really wearing this dress tonight?
Do you find your boyfriend/husband asking you these questions? Do all your conversations end in an ugly fight? While some women may dismiss these questions to avoid a fight, others chose to justify the violent behavior of their partners as love. However, a deeper look at these questions may indicate something else.
When you are in a relation, jealousy often creeps in; however, it must not take up a violent form. If your partner is being violent with you, he beats you black and blue, doesn’t listen to your explanation but assumes that you are cheating on him; it’s the right time to move on from such toxic relationship.
Violence against women is a harsh reality that many people choose to ignore. This is particularly more prominent among women belonging to poor communities. Violence often exposes a sense of insecurity in the relation. It exposes the need to control one’s partner, misogynist attitude and the belief that males have control over women’s body.
Does Jealousy Translate to Love?
According to a study, one in every five adults agreed that jealousy is a sign of love, but practically jealousy can never be a proof of love. Men and women around the world have a common belief that jealousy is a sign which denotes the love of their partner for them. The idea of romantic love and relationship among teens and young adults is often influenced by the society we live in, social media, and depiction of love through movies.
When a society believes that jealousy is an authentic excuse for violence against women, young people accept this form of behavior. While jealousy without violence is considered harmless, it is often used as an excuse by males to force themselves on their partners or exercise their control over their sisters, wife or girlfriends.
Jealousy can be extremely harmful when it makes people commit a crime.
According to a study, a majority of males cited jealousy as an excuse for violence against women. Approximately 53% of women stated that their partners exhibit jealousy if they ever talked to other men and exhibit their control over them.
Are You a Victim of Love?
A look at the newspaper will reveal hundreds of horrifying stories of violence against women by their intimate partners. These stories use jealousy as an excuse to justify the wrongdoing of men. Thus, these stories are viewed in a more sympathetic manner and the women are deemed to have asked for it.
These stories normalize violence as a part of love and encourage negative norms such as ownership of a man over a woman’s body while discouraging positive norms such as mutual understanding, equality, and respect in a relationship.
What Can You Do?
Now is the right time to break the cycle of violence against women. It’s the right time to empower women and allow them the freedom to take the right decisions. Women don’t need men to support them. Women don’t need to endure violence. They can shape their future themselves.
Let’s get together to make sure no women ever hide her scars from the world. Let’s make it a safe place for women and children. Be a part of the movement. Donate for the betterment of the society. Pledge to never turn a blind eye to violence against women. Let’s work together to end discrimination against women.
#JealousyIsNoExcuse #BreakTheSilence #WomenAreNotInferior #NotAskingForIt
