Can your husband slap you?

How can women be protected from spousal abuse if they themselves do not consider it wrong? Four out of 10 women in Pakistan think that a husband is justified in beating his wife for at least one of the following reasons: burning the food, arguing with him, going out without informing him, neglecting the children or refusing sexual relations, according to a survey by Unicef.

So if the roti is burnt, it is fairly acceptable for your sister to get severely berated or slapped. And if she is not, lucky her to have such a nice husband! It has become so ingrained in society that nine out of 10 women in...