By Arundhati Ray
At the office of the Swayam Support Centre in Calcutta, the front door sticker doesn't mince words. "This is a violence-free zone," it warns.
No other words of welcome could find greater resonance with Swayam's clients. For, each has experienced the violence inherent in India's patriarchal society. Taken together, their histories present a spectrum of abuse that is as shocking in range as in composition – battery and assault, rape and molestation, evil manipulations and terrifying mind-games – perpetuated by husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, colleagues, employers, the state and the community.
