by Sharda Patasar

Created on: August 18, 2008

Partition riots 1947-raping of women, killings, the merciless cutting out of the womb and leaving the bloodied part on the body for men to see- men's way of sending a message to the opposing faction that they had control over their honour. Daughters, wives, mothers killed by their men folk for death was better than the ruin of chastity albeit such dishonour was not voluntary.

Post-Partition- the Indian government's programme for the recovery of kidnapped women. Many women who were recovered were rejected by their own families with the accusation of being spoilt goods'. Having lived in the home of another man, having been touched by strange men, they were no longer fit to be welcome into their family's home, their honour having been ruined. Left homeless, penniless, some were fortunate to have been granted refuge by other women who formed a community to fight the injustice. Others simply ended their miserable existence.
Ramayana - Sita is asked to take the test of walking through fire as proof of her chastity. The community wants to know that their queen has not been defiled by the man who kidnapped her, in whose garden she had been a prisoner until her husband is able to rescue her!
Fire'-Deepa Mehta's controversial film that caused uproar. Two women emotionally and physically abused by husbands whose main concern is themselves and their wives are forced to take emotional and consequently sexual refuge in each other.
Water'-the unfortunate lot of Indian widows. Shaving the heads of widows, a violent act upon their personal freedom. Sequestering them because they are women whose very shadows bring bad luck, unclean, unfit to interact with the public.
Shauna Singh Baldwin's "What the Body Remembers", Satya's cry to be seen as a woman although she is barren. Roop, the younger wife tearing off her clothes and screaming in her head "look at me, I am woman!"

Twentieth century, twenty first century: real life accounts of suicides, bride burnings over dissident' female behaviour some of which include crimes such as not cooking, the inability to have children and unfulfilled dowry demands. Works of literature, journalistic accounts, academic studies, depicting the emotional and physical atrocities enacted upon the Indian woman, continue to be written and exposed to date.

According to statistics taken in 2006, 70% of Indian women were victims of abuse. According to the International Institute for Population Studies, 56% of women believed wife beating to be justified in certain

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