The Chief Minister’s suggestion to introduce pre-marriage counselling is apt (Editorial)
Noted Russian litterateur Fyodor Dostoevsky, in his novel ‘The Brothers Karamazov,’ stated, “No animal could ever be so cruel as a man.” The thought is so universally true, down the centuries, across all continents, and covering all races of humans. No animal, bird, reptile, or fish can be as ferocious as a human! Humans are able to think, plan, and intentionally hurt others in ways that animals cannot.
The recent barbaric incident in Bicholim, wherein a 32-year-old man attacked his wife with a sword, inflicting serious injuries to her neck and stomach, and in turn killing her in broad daylight, crossed all boundaries of brutality. The husband dashed his speeding car against the two-wheeler driven by his wife, who was returning home after dropping their daughter off for tuition. When the wife, along with her scooter, collapsed on the road, he attacked her with the weapon. She was declared dead at a local health centre.
Police investigation revealed that the husband had been addicted to drugs for some years. The addiction had resulted in domestic violence, due to which the wife had decided to seek divorce. However, before the divorce procedure could start, the husband sought the extreme measure. A small family was annihilated; a sapling was crushed before it could grow into a tall tree.
Visiting another recent crime in Shillong gives an idea of how marital mismatch can give way to extreme measures. A newly married woman, along with her lover and their associates, allegedly planned and executed the murder of her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. This is the other side of the coin, wherein a spouse chose to kill her husband instead of going for divorce, and that too within a few days of marriage.
The ongoing monsoon session of the state legislative assembly had deliberated on the increasing cases of marital discord in Goa, resulting in a high rate of divorces. Citing statistics that the divorce rate in the state is 5 percent, much higher than the national average of 1 percent, and around 25 divorce cases are filed every month, the government was requested by its own MLA, Ulhas Tuenkar, to set up family courts in Goa for facilitating speedy grants of divorces to the couples in conflict.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, however, wanted to go to the root cause of the issue and suggested the introduction of pre-marriage counselling, an idea that was mooted earlier but had received a cold shoulder from the public. The suggestion of the Chief Minister is apt, as during the era of joint families, elders would provide necessary advice to the newly married couple. The nuclear family has clearly lost this advantage. Therefore, it is necessary to revive this facility in the form of pre-marriage counselling. In fact, the Catholic Church in Goa requires engaged couples to participate in pre-marriage counselling, also known as ‘Pre-Cana,’ as a part of the marriage preparation process. This counselling is typically provided by the Diocesan Family Service Centre and individual parishes.
Most of the members of Generation Z—with birth years ranging from 1997 to 2012—many of whom have either married or are of marriageable age, seem to be struggling with inflated egos and limited tolerance, which form the basis of divorce. Other factors like extramarital affairs, financial problems, vices, and diverse viewpoints also lead to marital parting. Many a time, this separation occurs in a criminal manner, rather than the legal way. Pre-marriage counselling could help solve areas of conflict.
