On 22nd March 2020, the Prime Minister of India announced a nationwide lockdown for one day due to the breakdown of Corona Virus, leading to Pandemic. This lockdown was then subsequently extended for a week, then for 21 days and finally until 3rd May 2020 to contain the spread of COVID-19, which was known to be spread via physical contact and air borne. India therefore declared COVID-19 as a “notified disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Extended lockdown and other social distancing measures imposed to curb the pandemic made women more vulnerable and prone to domestic violence of any and every kind. Women were said to be fighting a shadow pandemic inside their homes .
National Commission for Women’s (NCW) data showed that domestic violence complaints doubled after the nationwide lockdown was imposed in India and thus even now increasing day by day. Tamil Nadu Police reported an sudden increase in domestic violence complaints. They received about 25 calls every day during the lockdown period and at least 40 such cases were said to be reported and registered. Similarly, Bangalore Police reported a hike in the complaints from 10 calls to 25 calls every day from the victims of domestic violence. These data from different sources indicate that domestic violence incidents increased throughout the country during the pandemic. The increase could be attributed to confinement at home, constant monitoring and controlling decision-making by the abuser, social isolation of victims from friends and family members, and reduced options for support.
Reasons can be:
• Stress due to work
• Poverty
• Workload
• Sudden confinement
• Lack of acts of leisure
• Emotional trauma
• Lack of resources
• Anger issues
The impact of the lockdown was particularly severe on certain sections of the population, including servants, migrant workers, daily-wage laborers, domestic workers, other marginalized groups and, unsurprisingly, women and children facing domestic violence.
Question is how to decrease this?
Answer: To be real, we cannot control the marginalized groups. Their thoughts, their educational qualification, their upbringing, everything plays an important role in contribution of the crime. But all we can do is, if we come across any such situation, or see someone who’s suffering, we can lend an helping hand, making their life easir and crime free. Informing the NGO’s, police, etc., can be a great help, or various other person who can save or create changes in their life.
Aishwarya Says:
I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.
If you are interested in participating in the same, do let me know.
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