Its a means of keeping the wife in line.. especially in india, pakistan, bangladesh etc,,

the husband uses the wife's parents as a means of controlling her. No person likes to see their parents being abused, so in order to avoid it, they tow the line..

Ofcourse a kick in the groin or careful use of a baseball bat should cure the problem.

The saddest thing of all is that "preachers" hardly ever focus on these issues.