Social problems encountered in the rehabilitation of physically-abused women: two case reports

Physical abuse of women has been documented since the dawn of history. However, it is not frequent that such patients come for help as such. Rather, they present as part ofrelated complicated problems such as marital discord, attempted suicide, depression and even psychotic illness. Women have been traditionally considered to be the inferior sex and as such, in many countries, social rehabilitation is difficult within the legal rights granted by the provisions of the appropriate laws. Two cases of physical abuse were admitted to the University Hospital in 1981-82 and their difficult rehabilitation is described to highlight the inadequacies of the existing laws under which protection and rehabilitation of the patients were sought. An account of what was and could be done for them is given.