Nakhid: Poor self-esteem may lead to domestic violence

OPPOSITION Senator David Nakhid warned that incidents of men feeling inadequacy and frustration was leading to cases of domestic violence abuse. He was speaking in the Senate on Wednesday during the private member's day on the private motion of Independent Senator Paul Richards lamenting violence against women and girls.

Nakhid warned against any superficial debating of the topic, even as he said his understanding has been influenced by the fact of him growing up with people from all demographics.

"It's not something that's compulsive, it's not like paedophilia, violence against women.

"There are a lot of underlying circumstances. It has a lot to do with frustration."

He said it was important for a man to feel some sense of worth and value to his wife and family, rather than feeling impotent, disenfranchised and disempowered.

"That feeling, Madam President, leads to a lot of the violence that we see in domestic abuse.

"That happens when the man is unable to provide for his family, in most instances. So he turns to alcoholism, he turns to drugs to escape the reality of being unable to provide for his family."

Nakhid said such instances prevail in hotspot communities.

"They are always fighting against the tide. They are always fight to put food on the table.

"No one here can imagine those circumstances. No-one. How it is that you have to worry between breakfast and lunch how you are going to provide that, if you can afford that breakfast or lunch.

"No-one can imagine that for a man to look at his wife...what Shadow used to say, 'How the woman look at you when you can't buy the box of KFC?'"

He lamented the Government's recent temporary reduction in pay to CEPEP workers.

"You think the hills and rural areas are not seeing it?"

The motion was passed and the Senate adjourned to a time to be determined.