ABSTRACT
The purpose of the law is to challenge discrimination and to provide access to a range of services in health, education, and employment. However, currently the legal discourse is focusing on the myths and stereotypes. These twisted arguments ignore the fact that the law has been formulated to protect women from violence and to transform the structural, systemic, historical, and cultural roots of family violence. Domestic violence is a patriarchal terrorism that needs to be viewed using multidimensional perspectives with a focus on the hegemonic regressive culture that induces and allows such abuse. Further, the law has been molded to introduce the concept of mediation by dubbing violence as a ‘dispute’ or an ‘ego tussle’, which has done more harm. Instead of holding violent men accountable, women’s economic rights are being intermeshed to pardon the serious crime committed by men. The fulcrum of power is used to further push women who are already vulnerable to compromise while supporting the patriarchal nexus. Moreover, the data on crime are distorted intentionally by the media, state, and society to propagate the myths and stereotypes about misuse of the law, and the courts blindly further these myths without verifying the prison statistics.
