Rameez Makhdoomi
Srinagar 2 April (KMW): In a heart rending episode, a mother of two children who was allegedly set ablaze by her in laws in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, succumbed to her injuries on Thursday evening, officials said.
This episode depicts again the trauma and violence that Women of Kashmir are facing. Over the years Domestic Violence has been on continuously rising in the Kashmir valley.
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted by the Union Ministry of Health had also exposed terrible facts about domestic violence against women in Jammu and Kashmir. The survey report, released in 2020, claims that 9.6% of women in the age group 18-49 experienced domestic violence in 2019-20. Five years ago, when J&K was still a state, the survey says 9.4% of women were subjected to domestic violence. The survey further reveals that domestic abuse and sexual harassment is more widespread in rural areas of J&K as compared to urban areas.
On the other hand, few years back Doctors without Borders (MSF) recorded 45 percent of the Kashmiri population (nearly 1.8 million adults) experiencing some form of mental distress.
According to MSF’s “Kashmir Mental Health Survey 2015,” 50 percent of women (compared to 37 percent of men) suffered from probable depression; 36 percent of women (compared to 21 percent of men) had a probable anxiety disorder; and 22 percent of women (compared to 18 percent of men) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This heart-wrenching episode at Anantnag is urging upon one and all to act against enemies of humanity who are making life tough for women of Kashmir. It has pained all the humane hearts.
