: Quite disturbing, but true. Couples are increasingly seeking divorce over issues as innocuous as spending too much time on social media and smart phones.
This was disclosed by the Andhra Pradesh Women Commission Chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari in an interview with The Hindu here on Tuesday. “Highly educated persons, including doctors, engineers, software professionals and research scholars, are approaching us with differences that begin with a spouse spending more time on phones, laptops, watching social media sites, chatting with colleagues or friends or just playing video games.”
In one case, a couple got separated over dispute that started with switching off the light in the bedroom and approached the Commission, she said. In some cases, newly-married women approached the police saying that they want to stay alone without elders.
There were many young couples who approached police stations, courts and the Women Commission within a month of their marriage. At the other end, there were couples who quarrelled after 20 years after marriage and went to the extent of filing criminal cases.
Counselling centres
“Without understanding each other, the couples are filing cases against each other in courts. In some cases, family members, who are supposed to guide them properly, are provoking them to take legal recourse. The Women’s Commission is planning to start counselling centres to counsel the couples and reunite them,” Ms. Rajakumari said.
The Chairperson said the Commission would deal with dowry harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, suicide or abetment to suicide, harassment through social media sites (cyber crime), child marriage and ragging cases sternly.
In the last three months, the Women Commission has inspected Mahila Pranganams, hospitals, orphanage homes and vocational training centres for women. It has received 276 petitions of which 40 cases were solved and the couples were reunited.
Helpline soon
In many cases, newly-married women complained against the mother-in-law and sister-in-laws, but not against husband or father-in-law.
Young women should change their outlook on the aged and similarly, the mother-in-laws should treat their daughters-in-law as their own daughters, she said.
However, addiction to alcohol, drugs and other bad habits by men are the main reasons for disputes among some couples, Ms. Rajakumari observed.
The Chairperson said that ‘Women Helpline No.181’ would be launched soon.
Also, a permanent office would be opened in the Interim Capital at Velagapudi soon.
