Her trial by fire

SCARS FOR LIFE

Bride burning accounts for the death of more than 8,000 women a year in India. Unfortunately, very few culprits are brought to book. Pushpa Achanta investigates this abominable practice.

“The stove exploded in the kitchen; scalding hot water fell on me by accident while I was making tea” and “I didn’t realise when my clothes caught fire while I was cooking” are just some of the common explanations that women admitted to the burns ward of Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru give, as their statements get recorded. Sadly, these do not reveal the truth, which is often horrific and heartbreaking.

Take the case of Bengaluru-based Zarina Khatoon, whose husband set her on fire. Surprisingly, the 38-year-old mother-of-two told everyone that the stove had burst at home. It was several weeks before she could muster the courage to narrate the real story and register a formal complaint. “Once a woman dares to complain against her family, there are consequences. One stands to lose everything – respect, family support, and even one’s own children,” she remarks. In India, irrespective of region, class, community or age, married women are being burnt alive for shoddy reasons. From being unattractive or cooking unappetising meals to bringing insufficient dowry, anything and everything can infuriate and incite the husband or in-laws into unleashing their wrath.

Bride burning accounts for the death of nearly one woman every hour in India - more than 8,000 women a year. Official figures from the National Crime Records Bureau reveal that 8,233 women, many of them new brides, were killed in so-called dowry deaths in 2012. Unfortunately, as it is often seen as a ‘personal problem’, the scope for intervention becomes limited.

Beyond the trauma

It was the fear of stigma and social ostracism that prevented Asha from talking about what had actually transpired the night her husband decided to get rid of her by setting her on fire. “It has been a long and difficult struggle to finding her feet again. It was 10 years back that her husband set her on fire right in front of their daughter, Jyoti. Over the years, Asha has found the strength to forge on for the sake of the young girl,” says Sathya, an activist with Vimochana, a women’s rights organisation in Bengaluru.

In the incident that saw Asha struggle for survival for weeks together, she lost her voice forever. Today, she communicates with the world through Jyoti. “The sprightly adolescent, who is currently pursuing her pre-university studies, often becomes the voice of her mother. She was very young when the incident occurred and has seen her mother fighting for life. As Asha recovered with the help of extensive treatment and counselling, she gradually gained the courage and confidence to share her story through her daughter,” adds Sathya, who has observed many women like Asha pull themselves together despite the tough odds. “She has remained alive for her girl and has managed to secure a job that has helped her become independent,” she elaborates.

Questions like how will I sustain myself and my children?, who will pay for my treatment?, will anyone give a disfigured person a job? often hold back many to take a stand. Asks Zarina, “In a society like ours, which is obsessed with beauty and physical appearance, what chance do women like me have to gain respectable employment?” She is not wrong. Most prospective employers are not comfortable either with their appearance or circumstances, which makes it extremely difficult for them to find suitable work. For those who do manage to secure something reasonable, their long-term medical treatment, necessary for proper physical and emotional healing, comes in the way - very often they are required to take short or extended breaks, which employers may not be ready to permit.

No easy justice

A combination of justice and adequate rehabilitation can enable a survivor to regain control of her life and destiny. But neither is easy to obtain, especially if she happens to hail from a lower caste, tribal or minority community. Yashoda P, founder of the Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike, a forum that assists survivors of caste and gender violence recalls a rare incident of justice. “In 2009, a Dalit woman in Mandya district had spurned the sexual advances of a man from the dominant caste. He retaliated by attacking her violently and set her on fire, and vanished after the act. She was able to hold on for four days and the police were able to record her statement before she died.  We collaborated with other human rights groups to investigate this incident and complaints were duly registered at the local police station followed by large-scale protests. Not only was the man arrested, the family got a compensation of Rs 1,20,000 and an assurance that her minor children’s education would be supported.”

Donna Fernandes, co-founder of Vimochana,  says there is a lot that still needs to be done. “It is absolutely essential to strengthen the provisions under Sections 498A and 304-B of the Indian Penal Code as well as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005. Women who have been set on fire by their husbands or other members of their marital family must receive financial and other support for immediate and long-term medical treatment, especially if they have sustained grievous burns. Additionally, provisions for emotional and monetary assistance must be made for their young or elderly dependants, too,” she asserts.

Nonetheless, it’s the never-say-die attitude of survivors that really keeps them going. Sylvia, 33, has been to hell and back. “But I refuse to dwell in the past. Life has been anything but simple ever since my husband doused me in kerosene and set me on fire. I take each day as a new challenge. Though I am educated, I did not get a job anywhere. So I am selling vegetables to earn a few hundred rupees a day to support my sons who are studying in a government school. We live with my mother, a daily wager, who contributes to household expenses as well,” she says. What is truly special and admirable about Sylvia is that she remains cheerful and that her melodious voice has no bitterness - just hope for a better future.

It is women like Sylvia who give Donna the strength to keep up the fight. “Each day, from Bengaluru alone we get four to five cases of women being burnt using kerosene. Does that mean we ban the sale of kerosene? No. What we all have to work towards is changing mindsets and traditions that turn seemingly normal people into monsters,” she concludes.

(This article is part of UN Women’s Empowering Women — Empowering Humanity: Picture It! campaign in the lead-up to Beijing+20)
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