“Home is a place for love and happiness not for violence”
I wish to extend my profound respect and admiration for the pivotal role that your office plays in the empowerment of women, not only within Bhutan but also on a broader scale. It is with a heavy heart that I compose this correspondence to draw your esteemed attention to an ongoing and distressing matter involving the persistent abuse suffered by my illiterate sister within our village.
A considerable span of time has passed since my sister's marriage to a local resident, a period marked by a consistent pattern of verbal and physical maltreatment inflicted upon her by her spouse. This situation remains unaltered despite their joint parenthood and the responsibility he bears as a father to their two children. Regrettably, his conduct in this regard has remained negligent and void of the expected care.
For an extended duration, he was absent, employed as a laborer under subcontractors. Instead of fulfilling his obligations towards his family, he chose to disregard them, resulting in profound distress for my sister. Investigations unveiled his proximity to Nganglam, where he initiated a relationship with another woman. Their interactions extended to nocturnal rendezvous within hotels and work sites, culminating in his being caught in flagrante delicto.
The impact of this situation has been gravely detrimental to my sister, exacerbating her emotional suffering. We have endeavored to enlist the support of the Gewog administration, engaging in mediations with the hope of reforming his behavior and fostering familial support, but these endeavors have not yielded any amelioration; his deleterious conduct persists.
He further exacerbated the situation by eluding us through altering his contact information, purposefully evading our attempts at communication. Subsequently, we uncovered his cohabitation with another woman and her children. Despite our numerous attempts to reason with him via telephone and encourage him to rectify his actions, his willingness to listen remained absent.
Upon successfully establishing contact and notifying him of his grandfather's demise, we implored him to return home to fulfill his responsibilities as a grandson. Although he agreed to return, his behavior exhibited no alteration. Instead, he continued to subject his family to threats of violence and even engaged in a deplorable attempt at assaulting my sister, leaving her in a constant state of trepidation and unrest.
Repeated visits to the Gewog administration by my younger brother and myself, aimed at resolving this distressing matter, have regrettably proven futile. After a span of three weeks, he returned home, accompanied by his second wife, further intensifying the turmoil within the household.
In this critical juncture, I humbly beseech the support of your esteemed office, which has consistently stood as a bastion of hope and assistance. The gravity of the current circumstance cannot be overstated, and we find ourselves deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of my sister and her children. The absence of decisive action against this abusive individual raises concerns about the prevalence of gender-based violence within Bhutan.
I earnestly anticipate a response from your office, recognizing that your intervention holds the potential to markedly alter this distressing situation. Your invaluable guidance and assistance are sorely needed, and we entrust in your office's commitment to safeguarding the rights and safety of my sister, along with other vulnerable women facing analogous challenges.
