The Kerala Women Commission’s chief’s unkind comments to a survivor on tv have sparked a controversy.

Kerala Women’s Commission Chairperson MC Josephine has been embroiled in yet another controversy after a video of her making an insensitive comment to a domestic violence victim went viral. On June 23, during a live broadcast by Manorama News, women were told they could call in and complain directly to Josephine about any abuse they were experiencing.

One complainant, a Kochi woman, told the chairperson that she married in 2014 and has experienced domestic violence. Josephine, who seemed irritated from the start of the call, kept complaining about some background noise. She then inquired of the caller whether her husband and mother-in-law were mistreating her. When the woman said yes, she asked if she had filed a police report. When the woman stated that she had not informed anyone, Josephine replied, “then you suffer.”

Initially, the woman’s mother spoke to Josephine, but Josephine insisted on speaking with the victim. When the phone was handed over to the victim, she appeared unprepared to discuss the problem, and the connection was disrupted. She then advised the woman to consult with a lawyer and go to family court. She also stated that if the complainant so desires, she may file a complaint with the Women’s Commission, but that this would be futile because the complainant’s husband lives abroad.

Though Josephine appeared to be curt and rude to some of the callers, she answered others with more patience than the viral clip in the one-hour programme.

As a large number of people reacted to the viral video and demanded that Josephine resign, she responded by claiming that she did not behave badly with the complainant. She claimed she did not abuse the woman and simply asked her to file a police report. She also denied saying, “then you suffer.” She stated that many women call her daily and that she, too, has experienced severe stress as a human being. She also justified herself by claiming that ordinary people do not always understand such issues, which is why she needs to make her point emphatically.

This isn’t the first time Josephine has caused a stir with her rude behaviour. She had yelled at a relative of an 87-year-old woman complainant in January 2021. The complaint was filed against a neighbour who assaulted 87-year-old Lakshmikutty, causing her to be unable to walk properly.

Because the complainant was bedridden, the relative called Josephine to request that a Women’s Commission hearing be moved to a nearby location. In the recording, Josephine is heard questioning why he forced an 87-year-old woman to file a complaint. She was also overheard addressing the elderly woman as ‘Thalla,’ a Malayalam colloquial term used to refer to an elderly woman rudely.

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