Abuse

As I was riding my bike into town today to study at the coffee shop where I am now, I came upon a woman carrying her baby on her back, a perfectly normal sight. The next moment I noticed a man who had pulled over on the side of the road and I watched him storm over to her and yank her by the arm, and begin to drag her toward the passenger seat in the truck, all the while yelling fiercely at her. This troubled me deeply, and I pulled over to the side of the road just ahead of the truck. As the man is yelling at her I asked, "Do you need help?" in Thai. She declined, but I could tell she was afraid. I wished there was something I could do, but as I was on a bicycle and I was pretty sure I left my cell phone at home, I felt totally helpless.

What are the chances that this man is going to take her home and beat her for trying to run away or go against his wishes? Pretty high, I thought. I reluctantly continued on my way to study, all the while praying for this woman and her young baby. A couple minutes later I saw the man drive past in the truck, woman and baby in the passenger seat, and baby carriage in the back. The woman had such a look of desperation, fear, and resignation all wrapped into one.

My heart goes out to this woman who likely feels like she is trapped and has no way out. Did she attempt to run away but he found her and brought her back? What has happened that this man feels he has the right to speak to her and grab her that way? It left me wondering how many women in Thailand are living a life similar to this woman, trapped in an awful cycle of abuse and dependence with no way out. Is there no place for her to go and get help?