To look life in the face

The text below delineates the broadness of activities which are included in abuse:

Physical Abuse:

- slapping, punching, hitting, kicking, shoving, scratching, biting, throwing objects
- threatening/attacking you with a weapon
- locking you in/out of the house
- abandoning you in a dangerous place
- refusing to help you when you are injured, sick or pregnant
- deprivation of food
- choking, pushing, tying up
- murder
- disfiguration

Sexual Abuse:

- making you wear clothes or to do sexual things that make you uncomfortable or do not want to do
- forcing you to have sex when you do not want to; raping you or threatening to rape you
- forcing you to have sex with other people
- minimized the importance of your feelings about sex
- criticized you sexually
- withheld sex and affection

Emotional (psychological) Abuse:

- insulting/ignoring you
- making you feel stupid/worthless; name calling and criticism
- ridiculing your beliefs
- humiliating you in public/private
- intimidating or harassing you; monitoring your movements
- being overly jealous or possessive
- isolating you from family and friends
- preventing you from going to work/school
- attacking your children/pets
- threatening to kill you/leave you/throw you out
- threatening to kill himself or go mad if you leave or do not do what he wants
- threatening to harm family or property
- coercing you into doing things that you find humiliating or against your moral/religious principles
- lying, breaking promises, destroying trust
- false accusations and blaming you

Financial/Material Abuse:

- taking/spending your money
- preventing you from having a job
- taking or destroying your possessions
- spending most of the money on himself or giving you a small allowance
- expecting you to account for every cent or to do more with the money than is possible
- refusing to give you information about your joint financial situation
- harassing you to the point that you turn over your money or paycheck as a way of avoiding further abuse
- restricting access to resources

 Source: UNIFEM Study Guide, WorldMUN2007

In this democracy, free speech is only granted to the privileged few, those who govern the country in one way or another. We, the people are convinced of our fortune as citizens of a country as well-run as a business.

And now we see the squabbles between two privileged ones, of how a research institute is to be run. The sympathetic doctor stands for true science; the petty businessman insists on a money-making machine. The pawns watch on, dumbfounded.

Simply an embarrassing situation. My opinion? I am biased and partial. He who has once done good for the economy has proven time and time again his pettiness. Dictatorship is on page one of his dictionary, narrow-minded and totalitarian as he is. Where other research institutes have allowed only their funds to be influenced by the market, he now insists on running a research project like a business. And as a scientist not bound by any corrupt system, I look on it with contempt.

And this tower of a research institute under construction has got only a weak foundation. It has yet to compete with others in the region and the world. It faces heavy competition in gathering the best talent, and with its existing bureaucratic system, the atmosphere is at best stifling. It will only be a matter of time before this tower collapses, at the mercy of an unforgiving environment. And when that time comes, there will be much to lose, more than just the imports.