Indian Women Given Bats to Guard Against Domestic Abuse

Newly married Indian women were given wooden bats by a state minister, who said they should use it in order to guard themselves against potentially abusive husbands. The minister, Gopal Bhargava, distributed the bats to almost 700 brides at a mass wedding in Madhya Pradesh. The bats read, “For beating drunkards” and “Police won’t intervene.” Thousands more bats were ordered for future newlyweds. “Women say whenever their husbands get drunk they become violent. Their savings are taken away and splurged on liquor. There is no intent to provoke women or instigate them to violence but the bat is to prevent violence,” Bhargava said.