2006年VOA标准英语-India Provides Legal Protection for Victims of

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
29 October 2006

A law seeking to protect women from domestic violence has come into effect in India. Women activists¹ are hailing it as a milestone² in a country where complaints of abuse against women are rampant³.

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The new law promises to give women sweeping⁴ protection against all kinds of violence in the home, whether physical, sexual, emotional or economic.  
 

Shakuntala Verma's hands were chopped off for trying to stop child marriages at Bhangarh village in Madhya Pradesh state (File photo - May 11, 2005)

Official statistics on such abuse are grim in India's male-dominated society. The government says 70 percent of women are victims of violence in one form or another, such as beatings or coerced⁵ sex. The home ministry⁶ says a crime is committed against women every three minutes, and many of these involve domestic violence.

One of the most common forms of violence is dowry related, where women are abused, beaten and even killed by their husbands and in-laws for not bringing enough gifts or money at the time of marriage.

Women activists say most victims suffer in silence. There is fear of social stigma⁷ in this very conservative society. And most women never approach the police because they are financially dependent on their abusers, and have nowhere to go.

The government says the new law will help bring about change by empowering women. It not only provides punishment for offenders⁸, but also gives victims of domestic abuse a share of the abuser's property and salary.

Rinki Bhattacharya, the author of the book "Behind Closed Doors," about domestic violence has been a victim of abuse in her own marriage, and she says the problem cuts across all strata⁹ of society - rich and poor, urban and rural. She hopes the new law will encourage more women to break through the wall of silence that surrounds the issue.

"I don't think I have adequate words to describe the trauma¹⁰ or the shame and the total feeling of powerlessness women experience if they have been subjected to this kind of violence," said Bhattacharya.  "What I feel a little hopeful about is that if women know there is a law that can help them, they will not remain silent and suffer. It will at least give a woman a chance to address the issue."

Women activists have also hailed the law as a "powerful tool in the hands of millions of women" to fight abuse. But Ranjana Kumari of the New Delhi-based Center for Social Research says the legislation will only improve the situation if it is accompanied by efforts to change traditional thinking. Ms. Kumari says women's organizations are planning to launch mass awareness¹¹ campaigns that target both men and women.

"It is important for men to know this law. They consider it their natural right to beat a woman, to scold a woman, to abuse a woman if the food is not cooked nicely or whatever, any small excuse and they think it is their right to abuse, hit, kick, emotionally torture, financially deprive the women," said Kumari. "Men must also understand that this is not right, they must not do this. "

The law has also broken new ground by bringing under its ambit not only married women, but also those in live-in relationships (those who are unmarried and living with a man).

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

3 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

4 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

5 coerced   

v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• He was coerced into making a confession. 他被迫招供。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

8 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

9 strata   

n.地层（复数）；社会阶层

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• They represent all social strata.他们代表各个社会阶层。

10 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

11 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。