Tag: domestic violence

  • ‘I stand by it’: Tere Bin writer Nooran Makhdoom defends controversial rape scene

    Trigger warning: victim blaming, discussions of marital rape, assault

    Pakistani drama ‘Tere Bin’ has been in the eye of a social media storm since yesterday a controversial scene from the drama serial went viral on Twitter. In the scene, the female lead Meerab (played by Yumna Zaidi) is raped by her husband Murtasim (played by Wahaj Ali) after she accuses him of attempting to start an affair with Haya.

    Social media users, who had already labelled the drama as problematic for past controversies like slaps, attempted suicide, stalking and poor story pacing, declared that they were dropping their support for the once-popular drama. But it turns out, the writer behind the drama Nooran Makhdoom, is not moved by the backlash, defending it as a ‘a demand of the serial’, in an interview with Arab News Pk.

    “It’s a situation which was the demand of the serial that will lead to the climax,” explained Makhdoom.

    She also went on to defend the story by saying she won’t be changing the script because of fans:

    “If the audience isn’t getting it, I can’t change it,” she said. “It’s just a drama. They should wait for the entire story to unfold instead of taking issue with every episode.”

    Makhdoom also pointed out that such a horrfiying trope is not being used for the first time, and that the entire production team or director had not objected to the scene:

    “It’s not like this has happened onscreen for the first time. It’s just that this project has received such wide recognition that people reacted strongly to the recent twist.”

    Makhdoom also shared with Arab News that she had not initially added the slap and the spit scene, which was added in before filming, but she took complete responsibility for writing the script:

    “If you speak of my social responsibility, I created a story and I stand by it,” she said. “And this is not an unusual occurrence; it has happened before.”

    This revelation has led to more backlash on social media, with hasthags like ‘Shame on Tere Bin makers’ and ‘Nooran’ trending on Twitter, and users calling for a boycott of the drama.

  • ‘Horrifying’: Twitter users slam ‘Tere Bin’ promo for depicting assault

    Trigger warning: discussions of marital rape, assault

    In the topsy-turvy world that is Pakistan right now, ‘Tere Bin’ is playing its part by keeping fans running around in circles. With the love-hate relationship between the main leads Murtasim (played by Wahaj Ali) and Meerab (Yumna Zaidi) switching from adorable to toxic to downright horrifying in the recent episode, fans have had enough.

    The recent episode of the drama tried to one-up itself to see how low it can go in disappointing its viewers, with once again the writers deciding to bring out the Murtasim caught cheating with Haya card, and ending the episode with Meerab’s assault.

    From the promo, viewers can definitely assume that Meerab has been assaulted by her husband and has chosen to leave him.

    Was it necessary that Murtasim, who is currently one of the most feminist male leads on our screens, be thrown under the bus just to churn up some views? Why did the writer even assume that after stalking, slapping and attempted suicide, this ‘love story’ had to hit its peak with the most heinous thing: domestic violence?

    Legal analyst Reema Omer criticised the scene on Twitter, writing:

    “TW: After months of justifying Murtasim slapping, shoving, dragging, asking Meerab to jump off the roof to prove her chastity + other toxic/violent behaviour, even #TereBin fan club is up in arms over the possible marital r*pe suggested by the promo Some silver lining, I guess.”

    Founder of ‘Something Haute, Aamna Isani wrote that she was shocked by the depiction of assault, and how could this possibly be a chance after this that Murtasim’s character would be redeemed.

    Users were tweeting that they were heartbroken at how the writer of the show has completely destroyed Murtasim’s character

    Many were tweeting that this was the end of their support for the drama, given that there is no possible justification to depict marital rape and domestic abuse.

  • Johnny Depp receives long, standing ovation at Cannes, social media users divided

    Johnny Depp showed up at the Cannes Film Festival a year after a highly publicised court trial with his ex-wife Amber Heard, for the screening of his French period film ‘Jeanne du Barry’, in which he played King Louis XV.

    In a viral clip, the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor was seen receiving a thunderous seven minute standing ovation at the premiere of the film.
    Social media users however remained divided on the actor’s comeback.

    Some users were praising how Depp made a powerful comeback after facing years of pushback, being dropped by some major roles, as well as the court trial with his ex-wife Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse and rape.

    Some were enraged at how the prestigious film festival refused to condemn abusers, which lead to the launch of the viral hashtag #cannesyounot, through which Twitter users criticised festival organisers for overlooking allegations of abuse on Depp.

    https://twitter.com/hotline2hades/status/1658758656014405633?s=20

    In an article posted in ‘Liberation’ newspaper, 123 French film workers had criticised the festival’s decision to invite Depp:

    “By rolling out the red carpet to men and women who commit assaults, the festival demonstrates that violence in creative circles can be exercised with complete impunity,” they wrote.

  • Man kills wife for not cooking rice with curry

    Man kills wife for not cooking rice with curry

    According to the police, a man was apprehended in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Monday on suspicion of murdering his wife because she didn’t cook rice with curry.

    The incident occurred in Nuadhi village in the Jamankira Police Station region on Sunday evening. The accused has been identified as Sanatan Dharua, a 40-year-old man, while his wife has been identified as Pushpa Dharua, a 35-year-old woman.

    Sanatan and Pushpa have a daughter and a son, with their daughter working as a domestic help in Kuchinda while their son was spending the night at a friend’s house on Sunday.

    Upon returning home, Sanatan discovered that Pushpa had prepared only curry and not rice, sparking an argument that resulted in him assaulting and killing his wife, as per a police officer.

    The matter came to light when Pushpa’s son returned home to find his mother dead. He contacted the authorities, who took the body and detained the husband.

    Jamankira Police Station Inspector-in-charge Premjit Das stated that an autopsy was conducted on Monday and the accused husband was held in custody.

  • ‘Domestic violence is not a personal issue’: Social media slams Ushna Shah for justifying support for Feroze Khan

    Actor Ushna Shah has been in hot waters in the past few days after she shared a picture of herself with controversial actor Feroze Khan at a gym on Instagram. She quoted a hadith that called for Ramzan to be a month of mercy and forgiveness. In her next post, she recalled the death of controversial televangelist Amir Liaqat, and asked her followers not to pass quick judgement that could lead to people committing irreversible acts.

    Feroze Khan has been accused of domestic violence and neglect by his former wife Aliza Sultan. The two divorced in 2022, after multiple celebrities including Oscar winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and actor Sarwat Gilani rallied behind her.

    In November, Feroze Khan was criticized for leaking the personal phone numbers and home addresses of ten celebrities -including Mira Sethi, Osman Khalid Butt and Yasir Hussain- who had declared that they would take action by suing Khan for emotional and mental trauma.

    On Saturday, Shah once more defended her stance by sharing a detailed statement on Twitter, where she called herself a “human sympathizer” rather than an “abuser sympathizer”.

    Shah went on to reveal that as someone who became the target of unfair bullying, like the backlash to her Indian lehnga that Shah wore on her Mehndi, she didn’t think that social media users should abuse a person and their families for something they “allegedly did”.

    “The backlash at my choice to wear the supposed ‘Indian style lehnga’ and dance at my own wedding, was prime example. So when hundreds and thousands of people abuse a person for whatever they allegedly did and abuse their families relentlessly, day and night, non-stop, I know what that can do and it isn’t fair punishment.”

    https://twitter.com/ushnashah/status/1644702178458710017?s=20

    Shah’s statement has received extensive backlash on social media for refusing to recognize how problematic her stance to support Khan is, and for being an abuse apologist.

    One Twitter user wrote:

    “Sympathizing with a human who is an alleged abuser/involved in domestic violence is basically being an abuser apologist. “even if the alleged criminal was found guilty” so u r telling me that a guilty criminal shouldnt have to face the consequences. also what even’s w the lehnaga.”

    “Pakistani celebrities are hypocrites,” another user wrote.

    https://twitter.com/peesho444/status/1644992794442993665?s=20

    “Why is it always ”let’s forgive abuser Muslim m3n because it’s Ramzan”, that man has literally brutalized his wife, you are not only a domestic violence apologist but a traitor to your own women class, using your privilege to disregard the voices of numerous DV women victims,” another user wrote.

    https://twitter.com/auratsoch/status/1644970742549819393?s=20

  • ‘Completely unnecessary’: Tere Bin’s latest episode is drawing criticism for including an attempted suicide scene

    Drama serial ‘Tere Bin’ had been hitting the right notes for a while with electrifying chemistry between Yumna Zaidi and Wahaj Ali who star as conflicted enemies turned lovers. Fans have lauded the series for Ali’s powerful acting as well as Zaidi’s feisty and headstrong character Meerab who isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in. However, a recent episode has left fans conflicted with some arguing that the series has diverted away from the true nature of the male lead, Murtasim.

    In the previous episode, Meerab is kidnapped by her male friend, Rohail, who takes her to his house and confesses his feelings to her. After being unable to contact his wife and panicking, Murtasim rescues her from Rohail’s clutches and threatens to shoot him if he ever comes near her again. But this incident leaves our hero traumatised, thinking that Meerab is still in love with Rohail and had gone to Karachi solely to meet him.

    Now in the latest episode, Murtasim refuses to engage with his wife, despite her attempts to make him happy while cooking his favorite dishes. As the attempts fall flat, Murtasim accuses her of cheating by visiting Rohail in Karachi. When Meerab’s explanation doesn’t satisfy him, he takes his wife to the rooftop and asks her to jump from there to prove herself.

    Fans have slammed this scene as a complete betrayal to Murtasim’s character. Something Haute editor Aamna Isani wrote that the scene was completely unnecessary and had shattered the efforts the show had made in the previous episodes to put Murtasim in a positive light.

    “Like the slap, the jump scene was also totally unnecessary and stripped Murtasim of the human light he was portrayed in when he cried. Very confused, poor writing I’d say. #TereBin,” she wrote.

    Journalist Marvi Sirmed criticised ‘Tere Bin’ for turning Murtasim in to an ‘alpha male’ who tries to domesticate the free-spirited and ambitious Meerab, and slammed the writer Noor Makhdoom for this controversial scene.

    “But this final nail in the coffin of sanity was put when a stupid toxic Murtasim asks Meerab to jump from roof in order to prove her innocence. A grim reminder of Seeta’s Agni Priksha. What nonsense. Really Ms Makhdoom, what bloody nonsense?” she wrote.

    Many users had to point out that in previous episodes, Murtasim had spent two nights in his village with the antagonist Haya, an act that had angered Meerab. But did it lead to Murtasim being forced to prove his innocence? Then why was this imposed over Meerab?

    This is not the first time Tere Bin has attracted criticism for including controversial scenes that were contrary to the characters’ build up. For instance, the slap scene in episode five attracted intense backlash as social media users criticised the show for peddling sexist stereotypes once more.

  • ‘The biggest mistake parents make is not teaching their daughters about their rights’ Komal Rizvi opens up about domestic abuse in her first marriage

    ‘The biggest mistake parents make is not teaching their daughters about their rights’ Komal Rizvi opens up about domestic abuse in her first marriage

    Singer and actress Komal Rizvi was a guest on Nadir Ali’s podcast where she opened up about her abusive first marriage and how she managed to escape it.
    Recalling her past, Rizvi revealed that she was quite naive at the time she got married, as she was only 21 years old and this was a semi-arranged marriage for which she had been given only four months to accept the propsal. The actress had lived in Dubai for a year, and later shifted to Oman when the beatings began, getting worse to the point that even the police had to be called.

    “I was 21 years old when I had gotten married, so I was very young… When we lived in Oman, I didn’t have any family or friends that I could escape to, and my ex-husband never gave me any money to keep me under his control. One time, I called the police on him when he was beating me. But instead of taking action, they dismissed it as a domestic problem and left, leaving me completely alone with him.”

    Recalling what she had learned from her past ordeal, after getting a divorce four years later, the actress said she wished more parents would educate their children about understanding boundaries, because her husband would psychologically abuse her to believe the beatings she was receiving were her own fault.

    “Women from the start in our society are told that they will have a beautiful wedding, after which they will have a husband who will take care of all of their needs. Which is why, so many women are willing to give their 200% in order to make their marriages work. But I detest that we never teach women about the importance of establishing boundaries, that let alone their husband, no man can cross. Which is the thing I regret the most because then I would not have wasted three and a half years trying to make my marriage work. My husband would play all sorts of mind games to gaslight me and make me feel like I am responsible for the beatings because I made him angry. For instance, he would say ‘it’s your fault that you served me with cold food, so I hit a frying pan on your head.’ I kept believing that if I loved him better or worked harder, he would be proud of me.”

    Rizvi especially emphasized how important it is that women are emotionally strong and be vary of men who try to encourage them to abandon their careers and dreams, because this is how her husband treated her.

    “Men like my ex-husband, who are psychopaths, especially try to ensure that they trap the girl to prevent her from escaping in any way. They go after girls like me who were quiet independent and successful, and ask her to abandon all of this in order to become a wife. They want a simple, meek girl who has no independence or opinions of her own, so they can bend her in to two pieces.”

    After escaping her abusive marriage, Rizvi recalled that it was incredibly difficult to be happy and come out of her dark hole, and said that it’s important that society helps women understand that their life isn’t over after a divorce, and provide them with the support system and care one needs.

    ‘Because I was very young when I got divorced. I used to think ‘Oh my life is over! Who would marry me?’ Now I look back and I’m shocked that I said things like this because I remind myself today that I still have a long way to go!” joked Rizvi.

    On the lesson she wished parents, and especially men, would take away from her revelation, Rizvi said that men need to learn to respect women, and ensure that when they’re bringing a woman who had a lot of protection when she lived with her parents, ‘Make sure you provide her the same amount of honor, respect and love. And when she becomes the mother of your children, provide her with twice the amount of love and care than you usually gave.”

  • Pakistani-American family arrested for abuse, forced labor of woman

    Pakistani-American family arrested for abuse, forced labor of woman

    A Pakistani-American family living in the United States of America (USA) has been sentenced on Monday to serve between five to twelve years in jail for physical violence and forced labor inflicted upon a Pakistani woman. Federal authorities have described this case as the ‘modern-day equivalence of slavery’.
    As reported by US newspaper Richmond Times, the three defendants, matriarch Zahida Aman along with her two sons, Mohammad Rehan Chaudhri (49) and Mohammad Nauman Chaudhri (55), had used physical labor, verbal abuse and coercion against the survivor, Maria Butt, to get her to serve thousands of hours of domestic labor ‘for 12 long years’, said federal authorities in a statement.
    “Indeed, during the course of their illegal agreement and in furtherance of their criminal conspiracy, each defendant assaulted, verbally attacked and abused [the victim’s] children to carefully construct a climate of fear that continuously compelled her labor,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Miller and Shea Gibbons revealed in a court statement.
    Butt was married to Salman Chaudhri, the eldest son of Aman in January 2002 when she was living in Pakistan. She claimed that she had not met her husband before their marriage. After moving to the United States, Butt recalled her husband telling her that if she wanted to keep him happy, then she must fulfil the obligations of his family.
    Shortly after moving to the US, Butt was called in a family meeting by Aman where the victim was asked to surrender her legal documents, including the jewlery gifted by her family, as well as a notebook listing the contact numbers of her family members back home.
    Prosecutors note that due to this act, the survivor “had no legal documentation, assets of value or contact information for her family and friends within months of arriving in the United States. She was becoming completely dependent on the defendants for basic necessities and emotional support.”
    After her arrival, the survivor was forced to perform an endless amount of housework which included cleaning bedrooms, wiping down the kitchen and, as prosecuters pointed out, had ‘become a robot of the house’ who basically had to respond to all of the requests of the family members.
    Soon, the survivor was made to perform incredibly difficult tasks like moving the lawn with a push mover, hand-washing and line-drying area rugs, including painting the inside and outside of the family’s two-storey house. When she would refuse, the survivor was slapped or subjected to cruel punishments like in one instance, she was tied with rope and pushed down the stairs infrount of her children for simply using a family member’s phone to call her husband.
    “As the type of work the defendants required [the victim] to perform intensified, so too did the coercive scheme they employed to compel her labor,” prosecutors said in the trial brief. “The defendants used a combination of coercive means, including physical assaults, verbal abuse, isolation, starvation and threats of deportation to create a climate of fear that compelled [the victim’s] labor,” prosecutors said.
    The survivor’s husband, Salman Chaudhri, was not dtsying regularly in the family’s home, and had moved to Pennsylvania for his medical education and then to California to set up his practice. He got engaged to another woman in 2013. The survivor revealed that the husband did not take her, or their four children with him to California.
    Prosecuters also revealed that the family also tried to separate the survivor from her children. They revealed that the children were encouraged to spit on their mother, and had been convinced that she was dangerous. The children were also belittled and punished if they would ever show any kindness to their mother.
    In May 2016, the survivor managed to escape with her brother from Pakistan and had filed a police case with Chesterfield County Police detective Laura Kay, after which the family members were placed under arrest.
    “After two months of rebuilding her relationships with her family and gaining emotional courage, [the victim] contacted [her brother], who helped her leave the home,” prosecutors wrote. The survivor “subsequently gained full custody of her children, despite a contested custody battle with the defendants.”

  • Karachi father throws his two children in sea after fight with wife

    Karachi father throws his two children in sea after fight with wife

    A man threw his two children into the sea near Mantora seaside in Karachi on Thursday. The man is a male nurse by profession.

    The man acknowledged in a video message that he threw his kids into the water because he was fed up with his family’s problems. He said that his wife was having an affair and that her family was supporting her. The man claimed to be a nurse by profession and an Essa Nagri inhabitant. He added that he attempted suicide by jumping into the water but was unsuccessful.

    As per the police the search operation to find the children was under way.

  • Woman in Lahore allegedly killed by husband, in-laws over domestic dispute

    Woman in Lahore allegedly killed by husband, in-laws over domestic dispute

    A woman in Lahore was allegedly tortured and then murdered by her husband and in-laws, ARY has reported.

    Details indicate that the event occurred in the Nishtar Colony area of Lahore, where a woman was allegedly tortured and killed by her husband and in-laws over a domestic quarrel.

    The woman, who had been subjected to assault, was taken to a hospital where she passed away while receiving treatment, according to a statement from the police.
    On the complaint of the victim’s brother, Nisar, a first information report (FIR) has been filed against the husband and in-laws.

    The FIR claimed that after the torture, suspects Arshad, Ashraf, and Neelam administered poison to the woman.
    Police are conducting raids to arrest all the accused involved.