Invisible Scars helps victims overcome menace of domestic violence
Hyderabad: Domestic violence is a big concern for Indian society even today. However, while much has been spoken about this, many women still find it difficult to raise concerns about physical or emotional abuse from their husband or in-laws. The silent suffering of the victims had Ekta Viiveck Verma, a working professional from the city, […]
Hyderabad: Domestic violence is a big concern for Indian society even today. However, while much has been spoken about this, many women still find it difficult to raise concerns about physical or emotional abuse from their husband or in-laws. The silent suffering of the victims had Ekta Viiveck Verma, a working professional from the city, thinking about starting a support group for women who are not able to share their traumas even with their family members. And thus, Invisible Scars was born.
“I lost someone very close to me due to domestic abuse. That got me thinking about the lonely and unhappy journey of an abuse survivor. There is hardly any place for them to vent their anguish. I wanted to give a place to the women where they can talk about their problems with others who might be going through the same things. So, I started this support group — Invisible Scars.” Today, the online group has about 2,100 members, from various parts of the world.
Growing up in a conservative environment, Ekta shares that several women suffer mental abuse daily, and don’t even realise it. “The absence of physical violence is often judged as no domestic abuse. However, the fact is that emotional abuse is equally unacceptable. Through Invisible Scars we are trying to change the narrative around abuse. We need to understand that women today are independent and strong, and thus the relationships have to evolve accordingly.”
After five years of helping the survivors start afresh, Invisible Scars has supported about 1,600 members in several ways. “Unless there is physical abuse involved, we help the couple understand each other’s issues, as we do not want to break the family. We guide them to various experts to help with mental wellbeing, family counseling, legal aid, police or other relevant NGOs,” says Ekta, adding, “Many women are hesitant to part ways from a toxic partner because they are not financially independent. In such cases we have also contacted MNCs to help them get a job.”
Interestingly, while this group was started to help women, it is no longer limited to just one gender. “We have about 150 male members as well. Abuse has nothing to do with the gender of victims. We have seen men being tortured in relationships as well. And unfortunately, they have to deal with a huge taboo that dictates that a man can’t be weak, thus many do not come out to share their troubles. Thankfully, some are voicing their concerns,” she concludes.
One can contact the group through their social media pages or their website — https://invisiblescars.in/
