Mar 07 2016 : The Times of India (Chennai)
After 6-7 abortions, triple talaq victim moves SC
Himanshi Dhawan
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New Delhi
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“Che-saat abortion hue mere... meri marzi ke bina.Tablet de dete the mere husband,'' Shayara Bano recalls hesitantly. (I had 6-7 abortions without my consent. My husband would give me a tablet.) Shayara, 38, can't recall the exact number of her abortions. It is all confusing in the soulnumbing mix of beatings, threats, bleeds and sickness.Speaking to TOI from her parents' village Hempur Daya in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, Shayara recounts how her 15-year marriage ended abruptly when a `talaqnama' (divorce deed) landed at their home. She was unwell and had come to her parents home for a few days. When the shock wore off, Shayara decided to seek maintenance and custody of her two children left behind with her husband in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Last week, she moved the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the practice of triple talaq. Her petition was taken note of and the apex court issued a notice seeking the government's response.
“There were constant demands from my husband who is a property dealer. He wanted an Alto car, ` 6-7 lakh in cash. I was beaten, threatened, given tablets to induce abortion but I stayed in the marriage fearing a bad name. The abortions gave me infections, made me sick. I was unwell all the time. I came to my parents house for a few days to rest. The talaqnama came by post... since then I have not been able to speak to my children or go home to get my clothes and belongings,'' she said.
Shayara, a masters in sociology, had dreams of teaching some day till her parents fixed her match. Her petition filed through advocates Amit Chadha and Balaji Srinivasan argues that the practice has been either banned or restricted in many countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan but continues in India.
A study by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan found that 92.1% women favoured ban of the discriminatory practice of triple talaq. The study conducted across 10 states last year found that a majority of the women were economically and socially disadvantaged, over half had been married before the age of 18 and had faced domestic violence.
Even as India celebrates yet another Women's Day on March 8, nothing much has changed for women like Shayara Bano. “I don't want others to go through what I did,'' she said, explaining why she has taken up the fight.
Last week, she moved the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the practice of triple talaq. Her petition was taken note of and the apex court issued a notice seeking the government's response.
“There were constant demands from my husband who is a property dealer. He wanted an Alto car, ` 6-7 lakh in cash. I was beaten, threatened, given tablets to induce abortion but I stayed in the marriage fearing a bad name. The abortions gave me infections, made me sick. I was unwell all the time. I came to my parents house for a few days to rest. The talaqnama came by post... since then I have not been able to speak to my children or go home to get my clothes and belongings,'' she said.
Shayara, a masters in sociology, had dreams of teaching some day till her parents fixed her match. Her petition filed through advocates Amit Chadha and Balaji Srinivasan argues that the practice has been either banned or restricted in many countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan but continues in India.
A study by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan found that 92.1% women favoured ban of the discriminatory practice of triple talaq. The study conducted across 10 states last year found that a majority of the women were economically and socially disadvantaged, over half had been married before the age of 18 and had faced domestic violence.
Even as India celebrates yet another Women's Day on March 8, nothing much has changed for women like Shayara Bano. “I don't want others to go through what I did,'' she said, explaining why she has taken up the fight.
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