Physically and Emotionally abusive father who plays victim and is narcissistic.
7 months ago
I'm a 22 y/o girl living in Meerut Uttar Pradesh. I have extremely mentally and emotionally abusive father. He's always trying to find very small reasons to fight and insult and scream at me and my mother. Verbal abuse, lies and gaslighting is constant. My mother and I usually stay quiet but whenever we try to speak up for ourselves, he resorts to physical abuse and doesn't let us even open our mouth. I'm not as much scared for myself as I'm for my mother because she's a cancer survivor and still he doesn't hesitate to harm her. She doesn't want to report because it might affect her reputation. Also, because dad always plays victim and CONSTANTLY LIES TO EVERYONE and it's so frustrating. We've been tolerating this for years now and it keeps getting worse. I'm trying to look for a job to become financially independent so I can leave but I don't know what he'll do to my mother after I'm gone. Every day he mistreats me, I think about suicide because I've had enough of his nonsense. He's very manipulative so I don't think I'll ever get any help from anyone. He's also very resourceful so I don't think the cops will do anything. Sometimes when he's hitting my mother I just want to protect her but soon my dad starts acting as if he's the one being tortured and starts blaming me and my mother right after hurting us. Please tell me if it's legal to pepper spray him incase he gets violent again? He's physically stronger so pepper spray is the only option I have to help my mother.
India has laws in place to protect individuals from domestic violence. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, is one such law. It defines various forms of abuse, including physical, verbal, emotional, and economic abuse. Under this law, you and your mother can seek protection orders, residence orders, and monetary relief from the court.
In cases of immediate danger, individuals have the right to defend themselves. However, the use of pepper spray or any other self-defense tool should be a last resort when you have no other option to protect yourself or your mother from physical harm. It's important to use such tools responsibly and only when there's an imminent threat to your safety.
To build a strong case, document instances of abuse, including dates, times, and descriptions of what occurred. If there are any witnesses to the abuse, try to have them document it as well. This evidence can be crucial if you decide to pursue legal action.
You have attained the age of majority as such you require no help from your father. You may stay away from your father if he is abusive.