00:00The recent law in Afghanistan, where now men can even beat up their wives as long as the bones are
00:06not broken, or the wounds are not visible.
00:08The defining characteristic of this new legislation is in its absurdity.
00:14You are treating one half of human population almost as inanimate property.
00:21Beat them up, provided the wounds are not openly visible, and they are anyway wheeled from top to bottom, so
00:28nothing is going to be visible.
00:29Practically, this shuts the doors on any legal remedy.
00:34The victim will have to stand up, at whatever cost. You see, I understand the cost. I am not being
00:39impractical here.
00:40I understand the cost of standing up, but then I also understand the cost of not standing up.
00:48And comparing the two costs, I find standing up is more advisable, in fact, existentially necessary.
01:06We are men sitting far away from their places, their borders, their cultures, their contexts.
01:14Whatever we say will fall short of resonating with their lived experience.
01:20Even our deepest empathies will be a bit like lip service. It's the women who will have to come forward.
01:29Otherwise, the Americans can be there, the liberal world can be there, or legal protection can be there.
01:35But it would all be like crutches. I fully agree that legal protection is needed. Yes.
01:43But in spite of saying all this, I know very well that none of that, though important, though necessary, can
01:52substitute a burning heart.
01:54And now you are saying that the responsibility lies with women? Yes, I am saying the responsibility lies with them.
02:01I am not finding fault. I am trying to remind a human being of her responsibility towards herself.
02:09See, what else can we do? Please tell me.
02:12Beg, petition, kneel, crawl. What to do?
02:16You want to go to the menfolk and beg for some teeny-weeny rights?
02:23You know how deeply culturally conditioned they are. You know their partisan position.
02:30If you do not become responsible and accountable for your life, who else would?
02:36For sure, the men would not.
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