KUALA LUMPUR: Leha (not her real name) and her businessman husband had a happy marriage and became even closer when their first child was born.
But when her husband’s business started to slow down, things took a dark turn.
Leha, who was still working, took on most of the financial responsibilities but it was still not enough as she had to also care for their baby daughter and do household chores. Her husband began to hit her over the smallest things.
He was also constantly demanding money for his gambling as well as drinking habit. He would often blame her for their situation instead of trying to find a solution or a job.
After three years, Leha had had enough. She packed everything and left with her daughter to live with her own family. It took her two years to get a divorce but her husband’s taunts persisted until his death due to liver failure as a result of his drinking.
As for Laxmi (not her real name), her story began as a fairy tale while studying overseas where she and her doctor husband fell in love. Laxmi was a classical singer and well known among the local entertainment scene. Initially, this did not bother her husband, but it all became a nightmare after their wedding.
To the outside world her husband had a pristine reputation of being the “good well-behaved and well-spoken doctor”.
But at home, he was constantly suspicious of Laxmi and would lock her in the house before going to work.
He would also call her constantly to check up on her. If she failed to answer, he would accuse her of having an affair. He did not allow her to work but never failed to remind her that she was a financial burden on him.
He would also hit her after coming back from work.
After two years, Laxmi finally found the courage to leave him. It’s been many years but she remains single.
There may be many reasons for such domestic violence, but some 70% can be traced back to the economic factor, says Senior Asst Comm Siti Kamsiah Hassan.
Misunderstanding remains the top motive, taking up 30.8% of cases in 2024, followed by anger (19.41%), financial issues (11.59%) and drugs (11.59%), said the principal assistant director of Bukit Aman’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division D11.
“But when you take a deeper dive, all of them are actually hiding behind the economic factor,” she told The Star.
“The misunderstanding usually comes from a combination of misplacement of keys or food not cooked right as well as others, and it builds up. Misunderstanding remains the top motive involving such cases.
“This is followed by anger (19.41%), financial issues (11.59%) and drugs (11.59%) in 2024.
Outside of these motives, Siti Kamsiah said there are custody battles, drinking problems, family issues, inheritance, jealousy, infidelity and divorce, as well as mental illness, which often come to a boiling point.
Regarding the demographic, she said 75% of the cases are those from the B40 group, which correlates with the economic factor.
However, she does not discount many unreported cases involving other income groups.
For cases of male victims, she said the number was smaller, with 1,865 cases compared to 5,251 cases involving women victims in 2024.
From 2017 to 2023, the number of cases involving men averaged about 27%, she added.
“It’s likely there are more silent victims of domestic violence among men. Many men don’t report abuse because of societal pressures, fear of not being believed, or concerns about their masculinity,” she said.
