DOMESTIC VIOLENCE : A Hidden War During COVID-19

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Domestic Violence

Since the day when UN declared COVID-19 (Coronavirus) as Pandemic, many countries are implementing complete lock down to prevent the spread of virus. According to the rules of lockdown, no person can go out of his house unnecessarily. During this some people are stuck at some places, families are spending time together but when it comes to families, not everyone is enjoying this “family time”.

Some men always try to be superior than women. In a world where we are encouraging women to step out of their shells and shine, some conservatives still wants women to sit back at home and spend her life in the boundary of kitchen. When women starts to raise voice against this suppression, they have to face terrible torment from the opposite side. Domestic violence was the most common way to harm the women, but due to strict laws and women standing up for themselves led to decrease in this crime.

As the orders of lockdown passed all over different countries to mitigate the effect of coronavirus, some men found this the opportunity to harm their wives cause no one is listening and they can oppress their lady as much as they want. Due to these reasons there is a great spike in the domestic violence cases.

After the calamity of COVID-19, the another calamity we are facing today is Domestic Violence. This crime is set to soar by 20% during global lockdown in a report from The Guardian . At least 15m more cases of domestic violence are predicted around the world this year as a result of pandemic restrictions, according to new data by UNFPA that paints a bleak picture of life for women over the next decade. Still there are many cases that aren’t reported and hidden. It’s becoming the hidden war during this pandemic.

Those men who would earlier gulp down stress with toddy, are today reacting by beating up the weakest in the house – the women and children. Where will the violence survivors go? On a normal day she could wait for the man to leave the house and run for help if it’s too much to take, or just regenerate herself in the time that her husband is away. Today, she is stuck with the abuser all day and night and is unable to seek any support.

The stay at home order is affecting people in many different ways. For survivors of domestic violence, being quarantined with their abuser means having a new burden to worry about.

“When women are in danger in our community, all men, women and children are in danger.”

This line reflects how vulnerable women are in this world. There are phones buzzing, calling for help, to rescue them from brutal acts of opposite gender. With the lockdown implemented its getting hard to hear the screams from locked houses.

Victims can be helped but they need more ways to access support. There also need to be more routes for abuse victims to report problems without detection. One smart innovation in Spain’s Canary Islands, since copied in a number of countries, is for victims to use the code “Mask-19” at local pharmacies to discreetly signal their plight, according to Financial Times. Empty hotels could and should be used for shelters, without judgement or cost. The government should give financial assistance to people seeking to escape. There is also a desperate need for subsidized therapy, not just now but in the future too; the trauma of domestic violence can last years. 

Sources:

https://www.ft.com/content/e4334e46-890b-11ea-a01c-a28a3e3fbd33

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/28/calamitous-domestic-violence-set-to-soar-by-20-during-global-lockdown-coronavirus

https://www.unfpa.org/news/millions-more-cases-violence-child-marriage-female-genital-mutilation-unintended-pregnancies

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