IT happened in the middle of the night at Segerea, Ilala District in Dar es Salaam when the entire neighbourhood was dead silent.
People suspected that a burglar had broken into the house of their neighbour, so they switched on their lights to scare off any intruder. However, they were surprised to learn that they had been wrong, totally wrong.
The deafening screams of a woman which woke them up stemmed from a fight between “Aneth George and her husband” Eddy Ryan over a long time dispute involving late coming at night. Eddy had knocked on the main door at around 2.30am but nobody had responded.
He was so furious that he attempted to break the lock when Aneth rushed to open it and a fight ensued. She was kicked and slapped. When the neighbours arrived to rescue her, she had already suffered a broken jaw. “This is a shame happening only two days after we marked the International Women’s Day.
Couples can argue but should not inflict injury on each other,” said Stephen Chambua, one of the neighbours. “The police must be called. Is this woman really safe in this house? We can help her get treatment at the dispensary but would that be all?
The incident must be reported,” said Nesta Singo, another neighbour. Before people made a decision to disperse, a ten cell leader was asked to have a word with Eddy the following day, so that he could express their fury at what he had done.
“Please give him our message: Next time he batters his wife, we will not spare him. We will teach him a lesson he’s yet to learn,” said a young man, before disappearing into a single room he rents nearby. Later on of course, word went around that Aneth had consulted with her parents on whether she should leave her two daughters and walk out on her husband or whether she should seek a court action on such a delicate issue; continuous battery by a ruthless husband.
Whichever solution she chooses, the fact is that there are many similar cases of domestic violence that need intervention to help change a situation that denies women happiness in their marriages. When dealing with marital problems, it is worth noting that women are realizing more and more that just like their male counterparts, they deserve respect and when it comes to human rights, both of them share these norms.
