Ruminations

A Man's Honour and Dignity in Portugal

"These references are merely intended to emphasize that society has always strongly condemned adultery by a woman and therefore sees the violence by a betrayed, vexed and humiliated man with some understanding."
"Now, adultery by a woman is a very serious attack on a man's honour and dignity. Societies exist where the adulterous woman is stoned to death."
"In the Bible, we can read that the adulterous woman should be punished with death."
Judges Neto de Moura and Maria Luisa Abrantes, Portugal

"[No one should] justify any kind of violence, in this case domestic violence, even in the case of adultery."
Rev. Manuel Barbosa, secretary, Portuguese Episcopal Conference

"[The verdict was] 'perplexing', 'revolting' [and violated the rights, freedoms and] dignity [of the woman]."
"Evoking the Bible does not combine with the rule of law in our country and discredits the judicial norms. [The decision could lead to] serious consequences [for Portuguese society, particularly for women]."
"It also conveys a message, especially to younger generations, of total impunity."
Women’s Union for Alternative and Response (UMAR), Portugal

"Is this an isolated case in the Portuguese courts?. Perhaps not, because sentences with discriminatory and abusive references arise sporadically."
"Even when she is a victim of aggression, harassment or sexual abuse, she [the woman] is often considered the cause of the crime. Either because she dresses provocatively, or because she fails in her role as a dedicated wife, or because she acts with ‘sexual disloyalty and immorality'."
"We know that there is much to be done to combat marital violence and gender inequality. But the courts, like the other organs of sovereignty, exist to promote justice and equality. Not to validate prejudice and discrimination."
Inês Cardoso, deputy director, Portuguese news outlet

The Bible: license for domestic violence in Portugal? (Pixabay)

An antiquated patriarchy, right out of the stone age of women as chattel, with no rights as a human being to free agency, whether or not she acts in a societally-approved manner or not, has condemned a Portuguese woman to accept the viciously violent acts perpetrated upon her by two men; one her former husband, the second her former lover, each man outraged that the woman 'betrayed' them each singly and in so doing besmirched the honour of men collectively.

It is one thing for men to dally with women outside the marriage covenant; in so doing he would merely be exercising a male prerogative not to be tied down to matrimonial bonds inconveniencing his right as a male to sow his seed in fields other than those he legally farms. Men may act with impunity and still have the right of expectation that a woman they believe they own through marriage would never dare stray from the matrimonial bed.

One woman did, briefly having an affair with a man other than her husband. She had second thoughts about the affair however, and for reasons known only to herself decided that her dalliance of two months was time enough wasted, conveying to her lover that as far as she was concerned it was over. The man, infuriated at the woman's decision, informed her husband that his wife had cuckolded him, leading to a divorce.

The woman was free from the stranglehold that both men felt they should have over her independence, but the men conspired to teach the insolent woman that she would pay a grievous penalty for dishonouring her marriage vows to one, and abandoning her relationship with the other, when anyone in their right mind should be aware that it is the man who is allowed to stray and it is the man who decides when a relationship should be ended.

The woman was kidnapped by her former lover who held her immobile while her former husband viciously beat her with a nail-spiked club. Her entire body was thoroughly slashed in the process, with ample bruises to show for the assault, a process that gave balm to the honour-deprived men with the tender and outraged sensibilities. A brutal attack on a defenceless woman by two men whose sense of proprietary rights had been offended.

In the ensuing trial the former husband was given a suspended sentence of 15 months and a fine of $2,000, though a prosecutor felt he was deserving of a more appropriate punishment, asking an appeals court in Porto, Portugal for a prison sentence of three years and six months. The appeals judges would have none of it; they commiserated with the husband's "depressive state" caused by his wife's betrayal.

Citing a 1886 criminal law calling for a symbolic penalty against a husband who killed his adulterous wife, the two justices decided they completely understood the trauma caused to the husband by the wife's infidelity, that she deserved the punishment the two men meted out to her. Upholding the casual suspended sentence despite the nature of the assault, women's rights activists, legal experts and religious authorities all were unanimous in condemning the situation justifying domestic violence.