Too often, society teaches us that parents can never be questioned, no matter how cruel they are. But giving birth does not give anyone the right to harm or control another human being. I recently came across two young women from Kerala who were rejected and abused by their families simply for loving each other. Instead of care, they were met with hatred, and society too sided with the parents, just because they carried the label of “parents.” Respect must be earned through love and compassion, not demanded through authority.

The tragedy is that this cruelty is not random, it is fueled by religion. Parents reject their own children because of their in-depth belief in a barbaric god, and society reinforces that rejection because it worships the same belief system. What should simply be accepted as love between two people is condemned as “evil.” Religion, tied tightly around tradition, blocks human progression. It teaches blind obedience, not compassion. And so, vulnerable people, already without privilege or protection, are forced to fight their families, their communities, and the weight of centuries of dogma.

Yet there is hope. The younger generation is beginning to question these toxic norms, though the road is not easy. Change will come only when we stop glorifying parents no matter what, and when we place human dignity above outdated beliefs. Those who suffer at the hands of family and religion deserve our full support, not our silence. To stand with them is not rebellion, it is humanity.