Domestic abuse: The case of married women Part 1

“Run like a dog.” “Eat like a dog.” These are statements that were uttered by two men to their wives. The first man used a rope to tie his wife to the rear of his bakkie, occupied the driver’s seat, switched on the engine and drove off, all the time screaming at his wife to run like a dog. His wife had to run behind the vehicle to avoid sustaining injuries that could have resulted from being dragged on the ground.

The second man was incensed when his wife inadvertently dropped a cupcake on the floor. He stood up, violently grabbed her by the neck, forcefully pushed her to kneel down and instructed her to eat the cupcake like a dog. Incidentally, despite the fact that of all domestic animals, it is only the dog that has always been considered man’s best friend, arrogant and abusive men often use the word dog to convey the highest degree of contempt and disdain on their wives.