India went into a lockdown in March 2020 and everyone was locked in their houses with their families and some with their friends. Women in countries like China, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, etc., saw a rise in domestic violence cases and India seemed to follow it.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), one in a three women face or see physical/sexual violence once in their lifetime and about 30% of the women have physical or sexual violencce by their partners.
Also according to the Crime in India report of 2018 published by the National Crime Research Bureau, a woman is subjected to crime every 1.7 minute and to a domestic violence case every 4.4 minute.
Within a few days into the lockdown, the National Commission of Women (NCW) received a lot of domestic violence complaints via emails and noted a rise in the number of cases. But the NCW chairperson believes that the actual number could be higher than what has been noted because these women were able to send out emails but some women who do not have internet access could not and there is no record about their situation.
Between March and April, NCW received about 310 emails about domestic violence and 885 complaints related to other form of violence against women which were domestic in nature. In the months of May and June, they received around 770 emails regarding domestic violence, as we can see there is a spike in the number of cases.
Living with individuals who are abusive, violent and manipulative in nature can lead to threats, physical, mental and sexual abuse.
“Because of social media, the reporting of domestic violence has increased. Women have become more vocal and they have less tolerance, which is very good,” women rights activist at People Against Rape in India, Yogita Bhayana noted.
What could have been done to curb this situation?
Government should prioritise topics like domestic violence as the numbers in India are already higher as compared to any other country. Proper’s campaigns to promote awareness about domestic violence and the measures women can take when they feel helpless in an isolated environment.
National radio channels, news channels, and social media platforms speak about different measures one can take in a similar way they run campaigns about social distancing and washing hands regularly. People who hesitate or are unable to file complaints via calls, messages or emails should contact places they go often like medical stores or grocery stores and can seek help from them. In France, there is a code word “mask-19” people use to convey that they need help.
