Knocking and getting knocked

My life has been blessedly violence-free. I've never been punched in the face, never been beaten, have never witnessed someone really being beaten (except this one time in Detroit, some guy was on the ground getting kicked in the stomach but we were in a vehicle driving by so I just looked away...)

Generally, violence is deemed as bad in Canada, unless you're watching a UFC fight on TV. Not that it's not seen as bad here, but generally it seems that people seem to think it's ok to use corporal punishment -- if they "deserve it", it's ok.

Obviously it's a changing attitude. More and more people are getting the message that it's not ok to hit children and women. I think maybe our society has gone too far, to the point where school teachers can barely touch students anymore without being worried that they'll get charged with assault, either sexual or physical.

So anyway, last night there was a knock on the door.
Did I hear properly? The TV's kinda loud.
Knock knock knock...

C'est qui? (Who is it?) C'EST QUI?
C'est moi... a meek voice answered. And then the young voice mumbled something in Fon.

I'm not keen on opening the door to strangers, but happily Mathieu was there so I let him deal with it. He opened the door and a voice just went on and on in Fon, and suddenly I heard "1000 Francs" and on and on again until she just started to bawl her eyes out and Mathieu started to search his pockets for change and kept telling her to calm down. He gave her 500 francs (1000 = $2.50) and sent her on her way to find the rest of the money at someone else's door.

He said to me that he didn't understand her whole story, but apparently she sells flour in this neighbourhood and someone had gyped her out of 1000F that day, and if she went back to the lady she sells flour for without the money, she'd get a beating.

Oy. For 2.50 you get a beating? Mathieu insisted she may have been acting, but her tears and cries sounded real to me. Then again, I've cried pretty convincingly in my day.

It has also come to my attention that someone I've met is a bit of a polygamist, but not out of religious affiliations, but rather just because he can. Plus he hits his "women", but I think the children are too small for him to take anything out on them. Apprently there's even more to the story, but upon seeing my scathing disgust the person who told me decided to stop. This dude has no job and counts on his mother (he's in his mid-to-late 30s) and his baby-mamas to support their own families. A leech. The worst kind. So gross.

I can only pray that karma is a bitch.

Because what can I really do? Can I go to the police? Can I interfere in people's affairs like that? Can I go to the girl and say, "I hear your boss is beating you, come with me and we'll file a complaint with the police"? And what if it doesn't work? What if she gets beaten even worse? What if she gets kicked out of the house and ends up on my doorstep?

My responsibility... not my responsibility... my responsibility... not my responsibility...

I can see why Africans are so into God... you have to pray a LOT around these parts.