Article March 26, 2001 Issue

Behind the walls of respectability

How the prayer of a daughter healed a family of domestic abuse

Written for the Sentinel

The author of this article, a regular contributor, asked us to withhold her name because her father is still prominent in his community. She says, "I kept the accounts of our abuse even from my husband. I didn't want him to become antagonistic toward my father... He has been set free from an unjust sentence ... I hope this statement will help us all to pray for those families trapped in abusive relationships."

I came from an Eastern culture where women were regularly battered and girls were treated as less than human beings. It was a shock to discover that this behavior is not limited to nations like the one where I grew up.

Even in the West, where I am living now, I find that behind the respectable facade, wife battering is rife. The fact that it goes on here, shows that even in a free society where women have a powerful voice there's a pressing need to address and heal it. Domestic abuse is a worldwide problem, not just one that belongs to third world countries.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Behind the walls of respectability

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access