Domestic violence is a sad reality even in the present well developed societies. As India is currently under the world’s biggest lockdown with around 1.3 billion people asked to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed over 1,300 lives and infected 39,980 people in the country, some inside their homes continue to suffer the trauma of both the pandemic and domestic violence.
Section 3 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 defines the term domestic violence as – “Any act, omission or commission or conduct of the respondent shall constitute domestic violence in case it:
•harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse
•harasses, harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person to coerce her or any other person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or other property or valuable security
•has the effect of threatening the aggrieved person or any person related to her by any conduct mentioned
•otherwise injures or causes harm, whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person.”
India’s National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday said it registered 587 domestic violence complaints between March 23 and April 16 – a significant surge from 396 complaints received in the previous 25 days between February 27 and March 22.
Confinement at home with an abusive partner results in both emotional and physical violence against women which is causing a greater consequence beyond the pandemic. Earlier victims of domestic violence are experiencing a great mental correct as many are forced to continue in their homes with the abuses.
The state of this ‘Shadow Pandemic’ (as UN Women calls it) is not just for India but is same even among the developed countries during this lockdown. The reports from many countries show that the global cases of violence at home are on rise during the pandemic. France reports 36 % rise in its reports of domestic abuse, China’s helpline calls tripled by last years, and UK has reported a 25 percentage rise in its reports of domestic abuse.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently called for urgent action on the issue by world leaders suggesting countries must ensure shelters and they must invest in online services and outreach groups and setup emergency warning systems in pharmacies and grocery shops.
The significant surge in domestic abuse cases around the globe is raising another important question that is it just the result of the frustration due to physical confinement at homes? Or are there many other factors putting fuel to this fire? Recently the website Quartz India suggested that; the increased violence is not just a result of the frustration due to physical confinement.
The pandemic has brought in its wake a global slowdown, massive economic dislocation, closed businesses, the spectre of looming unemployment, often accompanied by the threat of hunger and poverty for what seems to be an indefinite future. While both men and women are affected by the economic downturn, there is evidence from the past that violence against women increases during episodes of high unemployment.
Now let’s realise that diving into long debates may not result in solutions. Rather what we need is a quick fix mechanism. Formulating healthy and quick addressing services to reach out and help the women facing such trauma will definitely work. We know that many helplines and NGOs are working for this cause and what needs to be done in the first place is to remove the difficulties of these systems in reaching out the needy during the lockdown. Declaring such services as essential services may help in reducing the emergencies. Setting up shelter homes and transferring victims too will help.
Now looking at the long term solutions, as a son/daughter/mother/father/sister or brother let us look deep whether any sort of behavioural changes can be brought inside the homes. A deep introspection may create some change
