Lying to SurviveFor Survivors of Abuse, Lying Is Freedom. At What Cost? Lying to abusers is a survival strategy preventing further harm -- but it can wreak havoc on people’s mental health. By Devrupa Rakshit
Domestic Ordeal17 Year‑Old Domestic Worker Alleges Severe Abuse by Gurgaon Employers. Why Is Domestic Work Still Such a Vulnerable Profession in India? The devaluation of household labor means that domestic workers are often paid low wages, leaving them with no bargaining power, and thus, prone to forced labor. By Devrupa Rakshit
Whirlwind Romance. Not.How Abusers ‘Love Bomb’ People to Manipulate Them Into Relationships Part of the cycle of abuse, love-bombing occurs when an abuser attempts to influence others by overwhelming them with attention, affection. By Devrupa Rakshit
An Untold CrisisPhysical, Sexual Abuse Can Lead To Worse Menopause Symptoms in Women: Study The evidence of how many people experience abuse combined with the effect on menopause point to glaring gaps in healthcare. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Incognito BullyingResearch Shows Social Exclusion Is a More Common Form of Bullying Than Physical, Verbal Attacks "When a kid is excluded from social activities… the outcomes... [are] as detrimental as if they got kicked, punched or slapped every day." By Devrupa Rakshit
More Awareness Please?All You Need to Know About Complex PTSD "Hypervigilance and startle response are big issues for me. I’m constantly scanning to make sure everything’s safe." By Devrupa Rakshit
The Stories We TellHow ‘Maid’ Helps Understand Violence Without Blood and Bruises Like millions of women, the protagonist, Alex, is shown going through domestic and bureaucratic violence. But the gaze doesn't dehumanize her. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Inter-Generational ImpactMany Indian Families Express Care Through ‘Bullying,’ Creating Patterns of Abuse In India, what we’re often told is “love” and “care” is actually a violation of boundaries -- making us prone to overlook abuse. By Devrupa Rakshit
Global Lament1 in 4 Women Have Been Assaulted by a Partner: WHO Levels of violence were higher in low- and middle-income countries across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, a new report found. By Saumya Kalia
Trapped In IsolationHow Social Shaming Feeds Survivors’ Emotional Dependence on Their Abusers When the path to escape is paved in shame, it often feels easier to stay in the abusive relationship. By Devrupa Rakshit
An Emotional TrapTrauma Bonding Is the Emotional Cycle That Keeps People in Abusive Relationships. How Does It Start? People who are abused often have an emotional attachment to their abusers that makes it difficult to escape harm. By Devrupa Rakshit
India Dissents 2020India Dissents: How People Stood Up to Harassment, Abuse in 2020 "My dad threatened us all, but we didn't budge." By The Swaddle Team
Family ValuesWhy AOC’s Clapback to the ‘Fucking Bitch’ Comment Is Unprecedented for a Female Politician AOC flipped the respectability narrative, showing us how a woman from a 'respectable' family behaves when she's subjected to verbal abuse. By Rajvi Desai
Band-Aid SolutionChinese City to Let People Search Their Partner’s Domestic Violence History Before Marriage The policy is a more a knee-jerk response to the domestic violence problem under lockdown than a viable long-term solution. By Rajvi Desai
Save The ChildrenPinching, Shouting, Denying Food Among 30 Ways Indian Parents Abuse, Punish Children: UNICEF While girls were punished for leaving their hair open, not finishing their household chores, or making "unnecessary demands," boys were punished for disrespecting elders and refusing to work outdoors. By Rajvi Desai
Beyond The PaleWHO Study: 42% of Women Face Physical, Verbal Abuse, Neglect During Childbirth Researchers found forceful downward abdominal pressure and slapping to be the most common form of physical abuse women faced during childbirth. By Pallavi Prasad
A Series of Unfortunate EventsChildhood Trauma Linked to Early, Premarital Childbirth and Poor Health for Women "It is the idea of 'chains of risk' -- one thing leads to another." By Pallavi Prasad
Turn The Lights OnGaslighting: How to Recognize and Cope with This Manipulation Tactic Therapy can help change a gaslighter's manipulative behavior, but only if they're willing to put in the effort. By Aditi Murti