Extreme measures such as burning the bride are not the ONLY indication of abuse at the hands of in-laws. Abuse has many forms. Sometimes the subtlest but REPETITIVE abuse can be very damaging to a person's health.
Often times........when the son is not around.......his mom takes verbal jabs at the daughter-in-law. AND YES......I do know that there are 2 sides to the story and that in some situations the DIL could be the guilty one. But verbal jabs are in themselves a form of oppression. They fall under emotional and psychological abuse which is often times more painful than the scars inflicted from physical abuse. Why don't you check out the recently created thread, "Need Help Regarding In-Laws"......and after reading this thread you might come to the conclusion that there are 2 sides to the story............however........you will also realize the mind games that in-laws sometimes resort to. The poster of this "Help Regarding In-laws Thread" is fortunate in the sense that her fiance was able to catch his parents' transgressions and is aware of what they're capable of doing. However many DILS are unable to prove the abuse to their husbands because it takes place when he's not around.
Verbal jabs...well you get verbal jabs from ur parents, friends and spouse but I don't see a hoopla about it...that case from the thread is rare...
Relationships are not perfect, it takes time, patience and maturity to handle them. So, what is the issue?