BREAKING THROUGH THE CYCLE OF EXPLOITATION IN RELATIONSHIPS

Individuals, whether men or women, who lack inner growth and self-awareness are likely to misuse power when it is given to them. Empowering a person without fostering wisdom and clarity can lead to abuse of power. Just as men have historically misused their rights and privileges, women could do the same if granted power without the awareness to use it wisely. The solution is not to revoke women's rights or return unchecked power to men but to ensure that both men and women are nurtured with self-awareness and wisdom to wield power responsibly.

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Οur society embodies a stark contrast between its proclaimed life-affirmative ideals and the underlying suffering that prevails. Relationships, especially marriage, are often transactional and materialistic arrangements rather than expressions of love and understanding.

While marriages in developed countries witness high divorce rates but less systemic exploitation, India boasts of low divorce rates but struggles to contain exploitation resulting in mental health problems, physical violence and even death. Both genders are entrapped in outdated norms and traditions. In India, while approximately 20 women lose their lives daily to dowry-related violence, men face silent suffering, exemplified by tragic cases.

In any relationship built on desire rather than love, the roles of exploiter and exploited inevitably blur and switch. Aggression and cruelty are not gender-specific attributes; women can be as exploitative as men..

Historically, men have been the primary perpetrators of violence and exploitation, but changing economic, social, and legal conditions have made women equally capable of such acts.

If we look back, we sought a legal solution to the longstanding social issue of dowry. In 1961, with the enactment of the Dowry Prohibition Act, dowry was declared a malpractice and a crime. Despite this, by the 1980s, there was a dramatic rise in dowry deaths, with 5,000 dowry deaths reported every year.

Even after the enactment of Sections 498A (1983) and 304B (1986) of the Indian Penal Code, which were introduced to combat dowry-related offenses, the number of reported dowry deaths in India remained alarmingly high.