Mental health articles

Husband Wife Domestic Violence Case Nyasha’s story: the cycle of violence
Nyasha married Tarisai when she was only 17 years old. Soon afterwards Tarisai began to shout at her. At first she was concerned because he had been so loving before they were married. The reasons for his anger were often small: one day it would be because the dinner was not tasty; another day just because he had had too much to drink and was unhappy at work.
Husband Wife Domestic Violence Case Nyasha spoke to her elder sister, who reassured her that a little anger was normal in every marriage. But the anger seemed to get worse with time. One day, Nyasha returned home later than usual from the market. Tarisai was very angry. He accused her of not being a good wife, and that he thought she was having an affair with another man. Nyasha apologised and said she was not having an affair. But this only made Tarisai more angry. He slapped her on the face. Nyasha was shocked. It was the first time he had slapped her. She ran to her room and cried. Tarisai said sorry. But it happened again. And again. The beatings became more regular. After a severe beating, Tarisai would cry and say sorry. He would threaten to kill himself if she left. The accusation and threats made her stop meeting her friends and she became isolated.
Husband Wife Domestic Violence Case She could no longer enjoy sex with him, which made him angry. One day, when Tarisai wanted sex, she refused. He became furious, again accusing her of having affairs. Then, he started beating her. Finally, he raped her. The next morning, Nyasha tried to kill herself by drinking poison. It was only when she went to the hospital that the health worker found out about the violence. In the meantime, 12 years had passed since Nyasha had married Tarisai.

Tags: domestic violence