I don't understand why abuse is normal in Pakistan. Last year, a woman in distress yelled about beaten, while her family pulled her homewards. The neighbors watched silently. As I called the police, people tried to stop me. "Ghar ka mamla hai". Even people I had had respect for.

If you hear someone in clear distress and instead of helping, you choose to become a silent spectator—imagine the situation with the roles were reversed. The decision is always clear. Call the damn police if you hear a human crying, or at least ring the damn bell.

Eventually, the police arrived 40ish minutes later after 4-5 calls of me repeating location info. I told them where it happened and declined to give my name. No idea what happened after they disappeared, but I'm hoping she got help and her abuser was deterred from repeating it.