Stay Home, Stay Safe?
Written on July 21st , 2022 by {"login"=>"jcbphc21", "email"=>"f20181005@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"Journal Club", "last_name"=>"BPHC"}The Dictionary definition of domestic violence refers to any violent or aggressive behavior within the house, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. It’s a well-known fact that a good majority of domestic violence cases in India are swept under the carpet in the name of hushed notions to protect the sanctity of one’s family. The pandemic has aggravated the situation of domestic violence even more. Violence during the pandemic has primarily been associated with factors including loss of a job or income, less financial security and stability, and increased vulnerability, to name a few. Violence increased due to the rise in tensions in households, raised perpetrator's risk factors for violence, economic burden, and survivors' limited access to support services available pre-lockdown. The imposition of lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus only led to a silent epidemic or “The Shadow Pandemic.”
“Domestic violence is a burden on numerous sectors of the social system and quietly, yet dramatically, affects the development of a nation… batterers cost nations fortunes in terms of law enforcement, health care, lost labor and general progress in development. These costs do not only affect the present generation; what begins as an assault by one person on another reverberates through the family and the community into the future.” -Cathy Zimmerman.
By the end of May 2020, domestic violence complaints were at a ten-year high. India generally has an underreporting problem regarding domestic violence, where 90% of the victims seek help from their friends and immediate family members. However, given the lockdown, the victims faced a shortage of social support, where otherwise they could have sought shelter and help. Generally, victims could flee and find shelter elsewhere, which isn’t possible during the lockdown. Lack of social support is a significant factor that fosters domestic violence.
Even the otherwise happiest, richest Scandinavian countries had reported a spike in domestic violence cases during the pandemic, so the rise of domestic violence, especially against women by their spouses or spouses’ families, was palpable worldwide.
According to the NCW, the National Commission for Women, India has seen a twofold increase in violence during the pandemic. The virus mirrored the existing patriarchal notions in our society and exacerbated the situation. Take, for example, a case of dowry death in the most literate state of India, Kerala. The issue of a 22-year-old woman who committed suicide in June 2021, allegedly due to dowry harassment and the following domestic abuse and torture she faced. The list of such cases is endless, and although we are now recovering from the pandemic, we don’t seem to be recovering from the effects.
We know that this problem is quite prevalent in our country, so what can we do to help? One of the first solutions to domestic abuse is to reduce the victim’s exposure to the abuser. Focus on maintaining mental health and providing medical, emotional, and financial to the victim. National helplines and counseling the victims can be a primary step toward the solution. Start talking about these issues because they are not to be brushed under the carpet. There are quite a few of us out there who have witnessed domestic violence, sometimes within our family and even outside, but have always been told not to interfere by labeling them as private matters that are to be dealt with within the family. It’s time for us to stop turning a blind eye and not speaking up about domestic violence because we’ve been told so by our elders. Domestic violence is being spoken about on all platforms, digital media, and print media, erasing the taboo and the stigma related to it. It all begins within the households, the local gram panchayat, and society. When we as a society truly value women, we need to stop any form of (domestic abuse) altogether.