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[av_heading heading=’ RAMBLINGS OF THE UNMARRIED ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GORDON Q. GUILLERGAN
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The syndrome
“THE SCARS from mental cruelty can be as deep and long-lasting as wounds from punches or slaps but are often not as obvious. In fact, even among women who have experienced violence from a partner, half or more report that the man’s emotional abuse is what is causing them the greatest harm.” ― Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That? – Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
In 2004, in a case of parricide against Marivic Genosa, the concept of battered women syndrome was taken as a mitigating circumstance by the court. It stated:
“Admitting she killed her husband, anchors her prayer for acquittal on a novel theory – the battered woman syndrome (BWS), which allegedly constitutes self-defense. Under the proven facts, however, she is not entitled to complete exoneration because there was no unlawful aggression – no immediate and unexpected attack on her by her batterer-husband at the time she shot him.
“Absent unlawful aggression, there can be no self-defense, complete or incomplete.
“But all is not lost. The severe beatings repeatedly inflicted on her constituted a form of cumulative provocation that broke down her psychological resistance and self-control. This psychological paralysis she suffered diminished her will-power, thereby entitling her to the mitigating factor under paragraphs 9 and 10 of Article 13 of the Revised Penal Code.”
So what is battered women syndrome?
It refers to a scientifically defined pattern of psychological and behavioral symptoms found in women living in battering relationships as a result of cumulative abuse.
The Supreme Court defined a woman with battered wife syndrome as one “who is repeatedly subjected to any forceful physical or psychological behavior by a man in order to coerce her to do something he wants her to do without concern for her rights.”
The trial court convicted Marivic Genosa for parricide. After remanding the case for the hearing of the expert’s testimony on the said syndrome, the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction of Genosa for parricide but reduced her 14-year prison penalty after finding two mitigating circumstances.
Applying Article 13, paragraph 9 of the Revised Penal Code on mitigating circumstances, the Supreme Court cited “an illness which diminished the exercise of will-power of the offender without however depriving him of the consciousness of his acts.”
Since Genosa served her sentence while the case was pending, she was freed. To note, the former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. dissented from the majority opinion in the Genosa ruling; he believed she should have been acquitted.
It is sad to note that in our society today, many women still believe they have no choice whenever they are confronted with a patterned abuse from their love ones.
I personally think that the idea of having to live with these abuses is quite alarming since. Our rational thought should not be clouded by the fact that we love a person. To a certain degree, one must understand the perils of being in this kind of relationship and the choice to leave this is always up to the woman.
As a man, I see this as an eye opener to men who, for some reason, believe that this is their way of professing their love.
We could not attain perfection in a relationship but at least try to certain degree to live up to want the Bible teaches us about loving – that it is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud.
Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
No one, I believe, could ever perfect this kind of love due to our human frailties but the idea of at least living up this form of love is credited.
Remember that love does hurt, but the hurting should not allow you to lose yourself and lower yourself to that of any other life forms. You are a woman, a person capable of being loved without being hurt, without being ridiculed.
Learn to value who you are and realize that any form of abuse you are inflicted with you certainly do not deserve./PN
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