35,000-km expedition to encourage men share their dark experiences

It is a well-known fact that women are at the receiving end and they suffer at the hands of their husbands and in-laws. However, in some cases, men are also equally vulnerable as they endure great agonies inflicted on them by their wives. But societal attitudes prevent them from coming out into the open and complain against women.

To highlight this issue and raise awareness on domestic violence faced by men, city-based Ameen Shareeff started off on his 35,000-km expedition on January 24.

Ameen, who claims himself a victim of domestic violence, is on a mission to cover 29 States and three Union Territories. His solo expedition ‘Shareeff Hindustani’ aims at encouraging men to share their dark experiences. “There is a widespread impression that men are the aggressors and women the victims. However, it need not always be so,” says Ameen who revisited the port city on Saturday.

Time to speak out

He began his journey in Visakhapatnam and has so far travelled 23,800-plus km, covering 24 States, two Union Territories and 60 cities.

This apart, his itinerary also included Bhutan and Nepal.

With a board attached to his Royal Enfield Bullet that mentions: ‘It’s time to speak out mard’, Ameen intends to wrap up his solo bike expedition next month in Hyderabad.

According to the 30-year-old biker, domestic violence against men is growing at an alarming rate.

“But in most cases it remains hushed up because men feel reluctant to share their experiences. There are few women who subject men to harassment, emotional and verbal abuse and at times even go to the extent of inflicting physical abuse on their husbands. Take, for instance, my case. There were times I used to long for a peaceful sleep and my wife turns violent in the middle of the night. Though we live separately now, her endless torture continued for almost four years,” he told The Hindu.

The prolonged torture coupled with pent-up emotions triggered Ameen even to end his life. “When I was about to take the extreme step, I thought of my three-year-old girl child and victims experiencing similar trauma. That’s when I thought of creating awareness on the subject and help male victims build their own network,” says Ameen.

Providing solace

The solo expedition is being supported by biking communities, riders clubs and Ameen’s siblings. The clubs organise interactive sessions in the cities for the biker. “When I share my experience, several men come forward and admit that even they undergo similar problems at home. My objective is to provide solace to these men and save them before slipping into depression,” he adds.

Ameen’s Facebook page ‘speakoutmard’ connects people and help share their views. From Visakhapatnam, he is heading to Tamil Nadu and Kerala next.