KUCHING, Oct 26: All acts of matrimonial violence should be reported to the authority before they worsen.
Voon Shiak Ni, special officer to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, gave this advice when commenting on a video that has gone viral showing an angry man bashing up his son-in-law for abusing his daughter.
The video has caught the attention and support from thousands of netizens, Voon noted.
“My personal opinion is that this incident should be seen as a wake-up call to view matrimonial violence as an issue that needs attention from all quarters,” she said.
Voon, who is also a lawyer, emphasized that spousal violence is a crime. She believed the majority of such violence were never reported due to the nature of the abuser-victim relationship.
“The norm is that the wife will put up with the violence for a while and only report them if she feels that her life is in danger. Most choose to remain silent and live with it.
“Violence cannot be condoned in whatever forms, and every individual has to know it is not right to beat up your wife because it is a crime,” she said.
Voon added that problems and arguments in any marriage do not give anybody the right to whack their spouse.
“Do not beat your wife. It is an act of cowardice,” she pointed out.
Matrimonial violence includes psychological and emotional abuses, which usually take the form of issuing threats like `If you do this or that, I will kill you’.
Voon opined that the video had indeed sent out a strong message to all abusive husbands that their wives are other peoples daughters, and they have no right to beat or abuse them. — DayakDaily
