Domestic violence durinng COVID lockdown

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The lockdown slogan “Stay Home. Stay Safe” was a
reassuring one for most people. But for many others,
especially women, it was a time of enforced brutal
confinement with their tormentors. Akshara, a Mumbai-
based non-governmental organisation working for women’s
empowerment, has brought out a report on domestic
violence during the nationwide lockdown in 2020. The 56-
page report, called “Grappling with the Shadow Pandemic:
Women’s Groups and Domestic Violence in India”, collates
experiences of victims and is aimed at providing a template
of solutions for the government in the event of a similar
situation arising in the future.
The report says: “The first lockdown, from March to May
2020, severely impacted women. Like others in cities and
towns all over India, women too lost jobs, saw their savings
dwindle and witnessed family and friends falling seriously
sick. What was not foreseen, however, was that the slogan
‘Stay home, stay safe’, urging people to follow the
lockdown rules and isolate, would mean something entirely
different for women. With family members at home all the
time, women were doubly impacted not only with economic
and other losses but also with a heavier burden of
housework and with the ugly spectre of domestic violence
looming over them.”
Stories abound of women across age groups being
subjected to abuse that ranged from severe verbal violence
by men and older women in their families to physical
violence and sexual abuse. Domestic violence was also
witnessed in marginalised groups like transgenders and
Dalits.
The report documents the crime through the experiences of
NGOs who struggled to handle cases during the countrywide
shutdown. It focusses on establishing that the violence faced
by women was of a severity that cannot be overlooked. The
report is straightforward, forceful and fact-based but avoids
the kind of language that might be seen as shrill or strident.
It does not suffer in any way by eschewing anecdotal
evidence. Forward-looking and positive, it is a collation of
observations and experiences of respected organisations
working in the field.
‘A family matter’
Far too often domestic violence is seen as a family matter.
Even the authorities have been known to fall into this trap.
Excuses are made for the perpetrators and the victims are
expected to get on with life. All this was exacerbated during
the lockdown with the prison-like restrictions it had on
movement. Akshara decided to document the experiences
and responses of a variety of NGOs across the country to the
domestic violence so that they could serve as a baseboard
for future course of action.
The loneliness of women victims cannot be emphasised
enough. The usual support structures—hospitals, the police,
government welfare cells, dedicated phone lines,
government-run shelter homes, One Stop Crisis Centres,
legal aid cells, protection officers—were either not
functional or occupied with COVID-19 duties. As the
lockdown progressed, however, NGOs devised innovative
ways to reach out, while acknowledging that their efforts
were inadequate.
Also read: Families in distress
The report says, “Our objectives in publishing this report
and policy brief are to document some of the problems
survivors of domestic violence faced during the pandemic
and lockdown, to describe some state and women’s rights
groups’ interventions and to put forward recommendations
for immediate and long-term advocacy so as to be more
pandemic/disaster prepared in the future. We referenced 2
women’s rights organisations from 11 States and
interviewed 13 of them working on the issue of violence
which were active during the lockdown period and were
ready to share their field experiences. We chose women’s
rights organisations or those with a feminist orientation. In-
depth interviews were conducted by telephone by using a set
of questions relating to trends in violence, responses,
challenges and experiences of solidarity. We also contacted
groups working with women with disabilities and the
LGBTQI + communities. Although the selected groups were
from different parts of the country, they are not
representative of the hundreds of organisations that risked
their lives to support women survivors.”
It spoke of how many women and their children found
themselves “locked up” with their abusers during the
pandemic. “Initial data and experiences of women’s rights
organisations suggest that there were many more survivors
of domestic violence than those who reached out for help.
Women had nowhere to go and no one to whom they could
turn for help. All support services were discontinued and the
nodal agency for women, i.e. the police, was concentrating
on patrolling and imposing COVID-19 lockdown
restrictions.”
Danger of isolation
Breakthrough, which describes itself as “an organisation
working to create a cultural shift and make discrimination
and violence against girls and women unacceptable”, is
quoted in the report as saying: “One thing which aggravated
the violence was the idea of social distancing. It made
people believe that they cannot intervene in other people’s
matter. You have to stay away from people and there is no
way you can reach out. That isolation made things even
worse.” They also pointed out the stresses of tiny living
spaces. “It’s just one room and everybody just stays in it.
Sometimes the washroom is also not available. Sometimes
there is no access to common toilets. So where do women go
and how do they keep themselves safe? Another problem
was women’s access to resources like money and sometimes
even a mobile phone. If there is only one phone in the house
then it is in the possession of the man in the house, how do
you reach out for help?”
Swayam, a feminist organisation, observed that during the
lockdown there was no support of the kind that women
would otherwise have got. “If you are being abused, where
do you go? There is no family member and even if there is,
how do you get to them if you don’t have public transport?
A lot of them were also not supportive, saying, stay where
you are right now, you can’t come because of what is
happening.”
The Lucknow-based feminist group AALI (Association for
Advocacy and Legal Initiatives) says: “At first, they did not
call it violence but women spoke about the stress and the
tough time they were going through. Women had to become
sponges that absorbed all the accumulated frustrations of
everyone in the family. They did not want to talk about it
because they felt they should not add to the family’s stress
levels. It was not violence all the time but an emotional
overload.”
Akshara Centre in Mumbai found that “being confined at
home often led to increased work and sometimes domestic
abuse. Men’s demands did not reduce, in fact they increased.
Women had to do all the housework and that increased the
levels of resentment and anger on both sides.”
Jagori Grameen’s experience in Dharamshala showed that
“everyone’s nerves were frayed. Any small thing could
cause a problem, reprimand and sometimes beatings. Many
young girls complained that their fathers or brothers would
get annoyed if they saw them on the mobile for a long time.
They would criticise, or grab the mobile to see who they
were speaking with or ask them not to use them.”
The North East Network said: “The pandemic has rebuilt
itself on the existing inequalities. There has always been a
social bias, there has always been inequality, which women
have faced … the pandemic actually reinvented, rebuilt on
these biases. So there was double trouble for women.”
The report speaks about the peculiar problems caused by the
lockdown: “Activists and field workers trying to help
women experiencing violence and abuse inside their homes
soon realised that women were not even able to make a
phone call to them to ask for help. And even if they
managed to reach out somehow, it was nearly impossible to
intervene in any manner except telephonically because no
one was allowed to step out.” Activists from the Special Cell
for Women and Children, TISS, elaborated on how strained
marital relationships led to aggression against women in
families during the lockdown: “When the man would go to
work, a woman was away from him for quite a few hours. In
small houses, there is a sense of space only when everyone
goes out to work. Now the father, children, grandparents,
everybody were at home, required food three to four times a
day, and needed to be looked after. Housework increased.
Tensions built up. And in that small space, conflicts flared
up, with women and children bearing the brunt.”
Swayam says, “If you have the perpetrator at home all the
time, how do you contact services? Women also didn’t have
contact with family members or friends or neighbours.
Everybody was so scared to meet anybody. There was no
support of the kind that they would normally get. Every
access they had was cut off.”
The TISS cell found: “In normal circumstances also, women
are told to stay at home. With the lockdown, it was worse.
The internal controlling of women continued and there were
external forces not allowing her to step out. Even if she
called the police helpline number 100, their first response
was manage kar le ” (take care of it yourself). So we were
helping the woman ‘manage’ within home because in April,
May and June (2020) we could not do much.”
Child victims
Almost all the organisations interviewed spoke of instances
of natal violence. Domestic violence is commonly
understood to be perpetrated by husbands or in-laws on
adult women. But female children and adolescents are also
victims. It is just less spoken about, and often the mother is
involved in hushing it up, especially if there is sexual abuse.
The report quotes instances saying, “SNEHA intervened in a
case where a girl had to be rescued because her brother was
beating her up so badly that she sustained injuries on her
vagina/private parts. While that may be an extreme incident,
almost all activists reported young women having a tough
time at home. Young girls were criticised for being on the
phone, they had to do a lot more housework than male
family members (brothers/fathers), they were not given
preference when it came to online education and were
reprimanded for the smallest of issues.”
Additionally, the report draws attention to an area of
domestic violence that is not often discussed. “Apart from
the challenges that all women faced during the pandemic,
women from marginalised and vulnerable communities went
through other ordeals of discrimination—by people around
them and even by state agencies… When dealing with
domestic violence, organisations working for Muslim
women’s rights face layered challenges, on one hand
resisting patriarchy within the community and on the other,
discrimination from the external systems such as the police.
Awaaz-e-Niswaan, a Muslim women’s organisation, said
that during the pandemic they were able to continue
resolving cases of domestic violence from both their offices
in Mumbra and Kurla in Mumbai. Despite the lockdown,
their staff were able to come to the offices as they lived
within walking distance.
“The pandemic magnified the problems faced by Dalit
women. There was an increased incidence of anaemia in the
areas where they worked amongst Dalit and Muslim women
which was connected to the unavailability of food. Women
turned to quacks to terminate pregnancies during the
lockdown in the absence of medical services. They felt they
could not afford another mouth to feed due to loss of
livelihood caused by the pandemic. In some cases, the
women were discriminated and beaten up by upper caste
women while fetching water in villages. Women’s Voice
pointed out that during the lockdown, more so than ‘normal’
times, state mechanisms such as access to police and courts
did not work for Dalits.
“The number of calls for help and support to Nazariya, a
queer feminist organisation, more than doubled from 44
between August 2020 and March 2021 to 86 between April
and June 2021. Even in ‘normal’ times, the transgender and
queer community has a number of difficulties like their
family’s rejection of their sexual orientation or non-
conforming gender binaries as well as their own traumatic
journey of self-awareness. Nazariya reported that during the
lockdown period, they came across instances of queer
women being forced to meet prospective grooms while those
already married were subjected to increased violence… In
some cases, they were forced to go for conversion therapy.
The worst sufferers were those with stalled surgeries and
transitioning treatment causing hormonal imbalance and
body dysphoria. They were turned away from hospitals and
asked ‘Is hormone injection an emergency?’
“People with disabilities, largely invisible in India,
constitute little over 2 per cent of the total population…
women with disabilities are even more disadvantaged and
vulnerable than their male counterparts. The Association for
Women with Disabilities (AWDD) and the Disability
Activists Forum said that the special challenges women with
disabilities faced ranged from not being able to access basic
facilities or relief measures to being abused at home. The
International Disability Alliance collected data from Odisha,
Gujarat and Telangana’s Women with Disabilities Network
and found that there was an increase in violence from
partners and personal attendants. Women avoided reporting
their problems because of fear of abandonment by the
families.”
Also read: Gender issues and patriarchal values in
relationships
Calling domestic violence a “parallel pandemic”, the report
says: “The UN Women collected data from different parts of
the world to show the rising rate of intimate partner violence
on women during the pandemic. Around 243 million women
and girls between the ages of 15-49 years were at the
receiving end of violence during the first year of the
pandemic.” Prior to the pandemic The World Health
Organisation (WHO) had “put out the startling data that
worldwide, about one in three women or 736 million women
across ages are subject to violence”.
According to the National Commission for Women (NCW),
there was a 2.5-times increase in cases of domestic violence
registered between February 27 and May 31; it received
1,477 domestic violence complaints. In April and May 2020,
47.2 per cent of all cases received by the NCW were of
domestic violence, against only 20.6 per cent cases between
January and March 2020.
In some instances, there were services to help women. The
One Stop Crisis (OSC) centre run by SNEHA in Mumbai
stayed open, but that was because it was in a public hospital.
OSCs are five-bed facilities for temporary stay available in
extreme cases of domestic violence. After five days in the
OCS, women have to move to a shelter and this proved to be
a problem during the lockdown. The North East Network
had a positive experience when it sent an appeal to the
Commissioner of the Social Welfare Department, who
responded by creating a Standard Operating Procedure for
women’s access to shelters. Assam was the only State to
have a dedicated SOP of this kind which helped women to
access them.
The International Foundation for Crime Prevention and
Victim Care (PCVC) in Chennai was one of the few
organisations that kept their shelter home open for new
admissions even during the lockdown. It says: “Many
shelters were not admitting women because of the COVID
scare. In Chennai, we were able to do it because we are
based in the city. But in other districts, it was challenging to
refer women to shelter homes. We kept it open with all
protocols. Fortunately, no COVID cases were recorded from
our organisation and we followed quarantine for 14 days for
new admissions.” This system will continue until the end of
the pandemic.
With a few exceptions, the report is critical of government
interventions to help women trapped with abusive partners.
The police, in particular, are reported as having a “patchy
record” of providing assistance.
Lockdown guidelines
The concluding pages of the report offer guidelines on what
the States and the Centre can do if another countrywide
lockdown occurs.
“A disaster of the scale of the pandemic needs public
activism as well as state intervention and collaboration
between different entities to be successfully handled. Whilst
there was a discussion and subsequently a policy on the
involvement of the private health sector for supplementary
hospital beds and vaccination alongside the state, we did not
hear or see any collaboration with women’s rights groups.
The latter maybe small in number but have direct contact
and experiences with communities of women. On the other
hand, the state has a vast network of departments and people
like ASHA workers who can be mobilised. A systematic
collaboration would have benefited a vast number of women
and ensured their right to security and a dignified life during
the pandemic.
“The State and Central governments could have taken some
immediate steps, created safety nets and issued directives
based on the demands made by women’s rights groups. In
future the State and Central government can be more
pandemic prepared by:
Declaring all service providers like counsellors and
protection officers as ‘essential service providers’ with ID
cards for mobility and have refresher courses for them to
handle survivors in a crisis situation, especially disabled,
migrant women, religious and caste minorities and people
with different sexual identities.
Installing and operationalising a national emergency
helpline with a common number for the entire country with
trained women personnel, effective recording and
monitoring systems.
Creating and publicising a directory of services which can
be accessed by survivors and their relatives or friends with
information and mobile numbers during crisis.
Strengthen the capacity of functionaries of One-Stop
Centres and other shelter and safe spaces for women in the
State as well as all service providers on provision of GBV
related essential services adapted to humanitarian context.
Preparing a Standard Operations Procedure for guidance and
kept all shelters and One Stop Centres open for survivors.
Establish and ensure application of a gender sensitive
protocol for medico-legal documentation. Build capacity of
personnel for ensuring safety of women in judicial and
police custody.
Allocating space for women’s cases in courts and hospitals
especially for emergency cases.
Advising the police in all States to keep some personnel
available for emergencies involving survivors and their
issues.
Ensuring that information and food security for different
marginalised sections especially disabled women reach
them.”
The report says: “As we move towards a ‘new normal’ in
post-pandemic times, we need to heed the lessons we have
been taught in this period. There will be many such
pandemics and crises in the future and women will need
different forms of support which we will have to build today
to prepare for tomorrow.”

Family violence and COVID‐19: Increased vulnerability

and reduced options for support

Introduction

Family violence refers to threatening or other violent

behaviours within families that may be physical, sexual,
psychological, or economic, and can include child abuse
and intimate partner violence (Peterman et al. 2020, van
Gelder et al. 2020). Family violence during pandemics is
associated with a range of factors including economic
stress, disaster‐related instability, increased exposure to
exploitative relationships, and reduced options for
support (Peterman et al. 2020). Due to the social
isolation measures implemented across the globe to help
reduce the spread of COVID‐19, people living in volatile
situations of family violence are restricted to their
homes. Social isolation exacerbates personal and
collective vulnerabilities while limiting accessible and
familiar support options (van Gelder et al. 2020). In
many countries, including Australia, we have already
seen an increase in demand for domestic violence
services and reports of increased risk for children not
attending schools (Duncan, 2020), a pattern similar to
previous episodes of social isolation associated with
epidemics and pandemics (Boddy, Young &
O’Leary 2020). In Australia, as stay‐at‐home orders came
into force, the police in some parts of the country
reported a 40% drop in crime overall, but a 5% increase
in domestic abuse call‐outs (Kagi 2020). At the same
time in Australia, Google reported a 75% increase in
Internet searches relating to support for domestic abuse
(Poate 2020).

This pattern is repeated internationally. Reports of

domestic abuse and family violence have increased
around the world since social isolation and quarantine
measures came into force. Recently, anecdotal evidence
from the United States, China, Brazil, and Australia
indicates increases in intimate partner, women, and
children violence due to isolation and quarantine
(Campbell 2020; Peterman et al. 2020; van Gelder et
al. 2020). China, the first country to impose mass
quarantine in the Wuhan province, saw reported
domestic abuse incidents rise threefold in February
2020 compared to the previous year (Allen‐
Ebrahimian 2020). As Europe imposed quarantine
measures in an effort to slow the tide of infection, the
Italian government began commissioning hotels to
provide shelter to the increasing number of people
fleeing abusive situations (Davies & Batha 2020).
Similarly, France reported a 32% ‐ 36% increase in
domestic abuse complaints following the
implementation of self‐isolation and quarantine
measures (Reuters News Agency 2020). France also
began commissioning hotels as shelters for those fleeing
abuse. As quarantine measures extended to the United
States, individual states reported similar increases in
domestic abuse incidents ranging from 21% to 35%
(Wagers 2020). Back in Europe, the UK has also seen
concerns about increase in family violence (Bradbury‐
Jones & Isham 2020). There have been reports of
homicide associated with family violence in several
countries (Bradbury‐Jones & Isham 2020; Reuters News
Agency 2020). The National Domestic Abuse Hotline in
the UK saw a 25% increase in calls since stay‐at‐home
measures were implemented (Kelly & Morgan 2020),
recording at least eight family violence‐related deaths
(Knowles 2020).

Isolation and family violence

As the novel coronavirus outbreak has intensified

globally, countries are adopting dedicated measures to
slow the spread of the virus through mitigation and
containment (van Gelder et al. 2020; Campbell 2020).
Social distancing and isolation are central to the public
health strategy adopted by many countries, and in many
settings, penalties are in place for any person who
breaches these imposed restrictions. Social isolation
requires families to remain in their homes resulting in
intense and unrelieved contact as well as the depletion of
existing support networks, such as through extended
family as well as through social or community‐based
support networks for families at risk. Additionally,
isolation places children at greater risk of neglect as well
as physical, emotional, sexual, and domestic abuse
(National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children [NSPCC] 2020). Due to (necessary) imposed
social distancing and isolation strategies, and the
resulting shortages of essential resources and economic
consequences of these measures, people globally are
living under stressful conditions. While social isolation is
an effective measure of infection control, it can lead to
significant social, economic, and psychological
consequences, which can be the catalyst for stress that
can lead to violence.

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A perfect storm

Isolation paired with psychological and economic

stressors accompanying the pandemic as well as
potential increases in negative coping mechanisms (e.g.
excessive alcohol consumption) can come together in a
perfect storm to trigger an unprecedented wave of
family violence (van Gelder et al. 2020). In Australia, as
social distancing measures came into place, alcohol good
sales rose more than 36% (Commonwealth Bank
Group 2020), and as restaurants, bars, and pubs closed,
people are now drinking more within the confines of
their homes. Unemployment figures around the world
have rapidly risen into the double digits, with millions
signing up for welfare payments and a worldwide
recession predicted in the near future (Kennedy 2020).
Substance misuse, financial strain, and isolation are all
well‐known domestic abuse risk factors (Richards 2009).
During isolation, there are also fewer opportunities for
people living with family violence to call for help.
Isolation also helps to keep the abuse hidden with
physical or emotional signs of family violence and abuse
less visible to others (Stark 2009).

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COVID‐19 and coercive control

Reports show that COVID‐19 is used as a coercive

control mechanism whereby perpetrators exert further
control in an abusive relationship, specifically in the use
of containment, fear, and threat of contagion as a
mechanism of abuse. In Australia, charities providing
support to people experiencing domestic abuse have
highlighted concerns specifically related to reports from
people whose intimate partners are using COVID‐19 as a
form of abuse. There have been reports of
misinformation used by intimate partners related to the
extent of quarantine measures (Gearin & Knight 2020)
and other forms of COVID‐19‐related abuse
(Fielding 2020). Further, there are reports that those
experiencing domestic abuse may be afraid to go to
hospital for fear of contracting COVID‐19
(Fielding 2020).

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Reimagining support networks for people living with family
violence during these challenging times

We recognize that these are challenging times for all of

us, but especially for the most vulnerable families and
children. The United Nations Secretary‐General Antonio
Guterres recently called for countries to prioritize
support and set up emergency warning systems for
people living with family violence (News Wires 2020).
Pharmacies and grocery stores in France are now
providing emergency warning systems to help enable
people to indicate that they are in danger and need
support (Guenfound 2020), through the introduction of
code words to alert staff they need help (Davies &
Batha 2020). Domestic abuse support agencies in some
areas have published specific guidance on domestic
abuse in COVID‐19 focussing on what friends and family
can do to support people who are isolated (Domestic
Violence Resource Centre Australia [DVRCA] 2020).
Charities are also recognizing the role that neighbours
can play in supporting people living with family violence,
providing advice on what to listen for and look for while
they themselves are home, and encouraging
conversation with neighbours (Gerster 2020).

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Conclusion

The fear and uncertainty associated with pandemics

provide an enabling environment that may exacerbate or
spark diverse forms of violence. Actions such as social
 distancing, sheltering in place, restricted travel, and
closures of key community resources are likely to
dramatically increase the risk of family violence
(Campbell, 2020). Governments and policymakers must
create awareness about an increased risk of violence
during pandemics and highlight the need for people to
keep in touch with each other (while observing
precautionary measures) and the great importance of
reporting any concerns of abuse. It is important to
remember that maintaining social connectedness is an
important strategy during times of isolation (Usher et
al. 2020), even more so with family or friends you
suspect may be at risk of family violence. In addition,
information about services available locally (e.g. hotlines,
tele‐health, respite services, shelters, rape crisis centres,
and counselling) must be made known to the general
public through a range of sources, including social media,
the mainstream media, and health facilities. Mental
health professionals can support people by providing
first‐line psychological support, including listening
empathetically and without judgment, enquiring about
needs and concerns, validating peoples’ experiences and
feelings, enhancing safety, and connecting people to
relevant support services (WHO 2020).

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References
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COVID-19 Lockdown and the Increased

Violence against Women:
Understanding Domestic Violence
During a Pandemic
Abstract
Globally, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, reports of
domestic abuse have increased. Using scientific and news reports
about violence against women during COVID-19 and the changes it
implicated in society, this article speculates how different factors
contribute to violence against women worldwide, with some focus
on Lebanon. Violence types addressed in this study will be
domestic violence and intimate partner violence. To understand the
link between violence against women and the multidimensional
interplay between different factors operating during pandemic
lockdown, Heise's ecological model is used. These factors are
classified into four groups: structural and environmental,
community/societal, relationship, and individual. Violence increase
was due to increase in tensions in households, increased
perpetrator's risk factors for violence, economic burden, and
survivors' limited access to support services available prelockdown.
COVID-19's response plan limited the spread of the virus, however,
it weakened women's ability to respond to their violent perpetrators.
Background
On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) General
Director announced the coronavirus COVID-19 infection to be a
pandemic. With no available definitive treatment yet, preventive
methods are being implemented worldwide to control the quick
spread. These include proper hand hygiene, use of face masks,
social distancing, and home lockdown. Lockdown is implemented
for the greater good of the public; however, the strict order in place
gravely impacts certain groups. Whereas some people have
reported positive developments such as increased family bonding
time and contributions to household chores as a result of lockdown
measures (Peshave and Peshave 2020), news outlets have
indicated more domestic abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV)
(Godin 2020; Gupta 2020; Jeltsen 2020; Wanqing 2020).

In China, according to a founder of an antidomestic violence (DV)

organization, domestic abuse reports tripled in February 2020 in
one of the cities in Hubei province—the province where the
pandemic began (Wanqing 2020). Other places witnessed an
increase in DV reports on a country-wide scale: 40–50% in Brazil,
20% in Spain, and 30% in Cyprus (Graham-Harrison 2020). Arab
countries have also been witnessing an increase in domestic
abuse. In Egypt, females reported a 19% increase in violence
among family members with 11% having been exposed to violence
by their husband and verbal abuse being the most form of violence
encountered, at 83.4% (UN Women 2020b). In Palestine, service
providers to female violence victims noted a 50% increase in call for
help (UN Women Palestine 2020).

In Lebanon, according to the nongovernmental organization (NGO)

Kafa (2020b) that deals with eliminating gender-based violence, the
number of calls to their help hotline have doubled within a month
since the lockdown started, and six cases of mortality of abused
female victims were recorded. However, these numbers
underestimate the full extent of DV and IPV as women are afraid to
report due to social censure, inability to report without their abuser
knowing, and having nowhere to go during the lockdown.
During previous outbreaks and public health emergencies, violence
against women increased as observed during the Ebola virus
epidemic in West Africa in 2014–2016 and Zika virus epidemic in
Central and South America in 2015–2016 (Fraser 2020;
International Rescue Committee 2019; Oxfam International 2017).
That was attributed to extended quarantine measures as well as
economic stressors (Rigoli 2020; Wanqing 2020). The lesser
availability of quality and access to women's sexual and
reproductive health services resulting from the strain on the health
care systems could have exacerbated the violence women
experienced (Evans 2020; Sochas et al. 2017; UN Women 2020a).
Methods
This review article will explore several factors that contribute to
violence against women specifically DV with emphasis on IPV, and
attempt to provide an explanation for the observed increase in DV
during the COVID-19 pandemic, as observed globally with some
focus on the situation in Lebanon. The information was collected
from different news sources and gray literature from Goggle
Scholar, NGO reports, and articles searched on MEDLINE and
PUBMED. Keywords used included: pandemic, covid-19,
coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, violence against women, domestic
violence, intimate partner violence, epidemic, and lockdown. The
information gathered was between the time period January 2020
and June 2020. At the time, there were few published articles in
journals about IPV and COVID-19. Most of the information was
therefore gathered from NGO reports and news outlets. This article
focuses on trying to explain the observed increased in IPV and DV
from the start of the pandemic until June 2020 using Heise's
ecological model.
Ecological framework model for violence against women during the pandemic
To understand the link between violence against women and
COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Heise's (1998) ecological
framework will be used. Several factors come into play and result in
violence against the victim. This framework attempts to understand
violence against women using an integrated multidimensional
interplay between different factors such as personal, situational,
and sociocultural. The framework is neither strict nor definitive; it is
merely a guide to help understand the factors that contribute to the
increase of violence against women. The framework classifies
these factors in four groups: (1) structural and environmental, (2)
community/societal, (3) relationship, and (4) individual. To our
knowledge, this is the first article to apply Heise's ecological model
in pandemic lockdown to understand the factors leading to the
noted increase in IPV and DV along with a special focus on the
situation in Lebanon.
Results and Discussion
Structural and environmental factors
Lockdown and movement restriction
A few of the distinguishing characteristics of the onset and spread of COVID-19
globally are the shock, confusion, and panic resulting from the speed and scope at
which the pandemic has spread combined with the initial lack of knowledge on how
to best combat it. Lockdown measures—even when considered being drastic—were
swiftly instituted as a policy option for the greater good of the public in many
countries given their efficacy at slowing the spread of the virus. Airports and other
forms of public transportation had to be shut down temporarily to control the spread
of the virus. International air travel dropped by 90% because of the pandemic
lockdown measures (Suhartono 2020). The success of combating the virus through
lockdown measure can be seen in New Zealand where they succeeded in recording
zero cases of the virus over a month after implementing strict national lockdown
measures (Cousins 2020). However, the speed and severity with which the lockdown
is being enforced and the profound disruption the pandemic is causing on a global
scale is creating panic and uncertainty about the future everywhere. This uncertainty
is increasing stress, anxiety, depression—as well as other mental health issues—
among the global population affecting daily functions (Torales et al. 2020). Unlike
forced displacement seen among refugees, COVID-19 has resulted in an enforced
global movement restriction. However, they both isolate a person from their familiar
environment, routine, and support system thus increasing their risk for experiencing
violence.

Lockdown is forcing people to stay at home providing families with more time to be
spent together. This is strengthening bonds but also building up stress tensions and
arguments especially when people are unusually confined with each other all day
(NSPCC 2020; O'Halloran 2020). In societies where women are primarily
responsible for household duties, it has been previously shown that in times of crises
such as armed conflicts, or natural disasters, tensions in the household increase as
a result of partners stuck at home together, increasing IPV (Inter-Agency Standing
Committee 2015). Globally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting of domestic
abuse has increased with the implementation of lockdown measures (Graham-
Harrison 2020; Kadi 2020; Lewis 2020a; Wanqing 2020).

Movement restriction and being locked at home with the perpetrator during
quarantine is making it hard for survivors to escape, to report domestic abuse, and to
seek help (Godin 2020; Gupta 2020; Jeltsen 2020; Taub 2020). Survivors are
reporting not being allowed to go out and threatened if they get sick with COVID-19
and infect the abuser (Godin 2020). They are also unable to reach out and talk on
the phone or call for support because of the loss of privacy. Calls from Syrian
refugees in a province in Lebanon decreased by 15% during mid-March when the
lockdown started (Kafa 2020a). This could be due to limited access to help and
social services due to movement restrictions, lack of privacy and fear to report, and
lack of access to a phone or phone credits (UN Women et al. 2020). In addition,
organizations that deal with domestic abuse in Lebanon are having difficulty
providing support and reaching survivors during these times (Asharq Al-Awsat 2020;
Bami et al. 2020). Support has been provided online as an alternative for survivors of
abuse but the extreme situation of being stuck with the perpetrator is making it
harder to reach and help survivors of abuse (Asharq Al-Awsat 2020; Bami et
al. 2020).

Overwhelmed health care

In times of outbreaks health care resources are redirected toward addressing the
crisis leaving women with limited access to women's health services and DV support
services (Owen 2020; Sochas et al. 2017). For instance, women died more of
obstetrical complications than of Ebola in Sierra Leone (Women's Budget
Group 2020). In times of COVID-19, the health care system is overwhelmed and
overloaded with the pandemic leaving crisis centers in tertiary hospitals unable to
provide care for survivors of DV or IPV (UN Women 2020a). Women's centers are
being repurposed into homeless shelters in China and Italy further limiting safe
places women can go to if they have experienced DV (Fraser 2020; Wanqing 2020).
In Lebanon, women's shelters are at full capacity and not accepting new cases due
to the fear of spreading the virus (Lewis 2020a). In Italy and France, local authorities
have used hotel rooms as temporary shelters for survivors of DV since the actual
shelters cannot receive new cases due to fear of spreading the virus (Taub 2020).

In addition, overwhelmed health care systems diverting their resources to deal with
the COVID-19 crisis is affecting care delivered to other patients. The U.K. data from
the Office for National Statistics have shown that during the COVID-19 crisis there
has been an increase in non-COVID-19 deaths compared with the 5-year average
death. Deaths due to dementia and Alzheimer disease increased by 52.2%
compared with the 5-year average during mid-March to the beginning of May 2020;
deaths due to other causes such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, sepsis, asthma,
and diabetes also increased (Office for National Statistics 2020). The increase in the
cases of non-COVID-19 deaths can possibly be indicating that these cases are not
getting proper care on time due to an overwhelmed health care system or delay in
seeking care due to anxiety of exposure to the pandemic in the health care setting.
Delayed care and limited care in an overwhelmed and overstretched health care
system can lead to violence since patients and their families will be frustrated about
not being able to receive the proper care they need in such a situation. There have
been reports of increased violence against health care workers in the time of the
pandemic at overwhelmed hospitals, with women making 67% of the health care
frontline workers (Boniol et al. 2019; Fraser 2020; UN Women 2020a).

Breakdown of the legal system, police, and impunity of violence

Access to legal and health care systems for women is limited during public health
emergencies (Peterman et al. 2020). Newspaper or news outlets discussed
breakdown of the legal system for DV survivors during the disease outbreak. Reports
of DV to police in China have tripled during the time of the lockdown
(Wanqing 2020). However, attention has not been properly directed to DV cases or
reports. In China, a victim of DV recorded a conversation with a police officer where
after she reported being abused at home by her husband, the officer is heard telling
her to forget about pursuing the case (Wanqing 2020). During the Ebola epidemic in
West Africa in 2014–2016, the police system got overwhelmed with the epidemic
resulting in increased disregard to punishing acts of gender-based violence (UNICEF
GBViE Helpdesk 2018). On the other hand, in Lebanon, during the lockdown, some
judges made use of remote listening technology such as video calls to allow
survivors of abuse victims to give their testimony for court orders regarding cases of
domestic abuse to be issued (Kafa 2020b).

With the spread of the pandemic, gun purchase sales in the USA increased
(WTOC 2020). Firearm sale in March 2020 was 85.3% more than March 2019
(Brauer 2020). This might be due to the fear of social collapse or the feel for self-
protection. The presence of firearms at home might increase the risk of accidental or
intentional injury or death against women and children (Peterman et al. 2020).

Enforcing the lockdown at governmental levels has required the use of police officers
to make sure the strict measures are being followed. However, there is concern that
in several countries police brutality to enforce the lockdown has increased.
Combating COVID-19 has placed countries in a police state for the greater good of
the public and overrode individual freedom. For example, in the United Kingdom,
police used drone and roadblocks to stop people from driving into a park during the
lockdown (Pidd and Dodd 2020). In Nigeria, police brutality to enforce lockdown
killed more people than the pandemic itself up to April 14, 2020 (National Human
Rights Commission 2020). In Lebanon, the military was deployed at the start of the
lockdown to support the enforcement of the measures (Lewis 2020b). This
decreased individual freedom, and despite it being for the greater good of the public,
has increased violence.

Community/societal
Altered sex ratio
COVID-19 pandemic's male mortality is noted to be higher than female's mortality
globally (Chen et al. 2020; Global Health 5050 2020; Onder et al. 2020; Richardson
et al. 2020). There is no direct explanation for this observation, however, it may be
related to men smoking more than women, men being at an increased risk of having
more chronic diseases such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and men
washing their hands with soap less than women (Gao et al. 2013; Parascandola and
Xiao 2019; Rabin 2020; World Health Organization 2019). On the other hand,
women are more prone to being victims of DV in times of unrest. In the aftermath of
war, a woman's lifetime risk of being a victim of DV was increased by 65% for every
one standard deviation decrease in the sex ratio of men to women (La
Mattina 2013). After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, women who got married in
provinces that had more decrease in the male to female sex ratio were more likely to
become survivors of IPV, less likely to have economic decision-making powers, less
likely to use contraception methods, and married less-educated husbands (La
Mattina 2013). The full extent of the COVID-19 pandemic on female violence is yet to
be understood however, extrapolating from the war example, a decrease in the male
to female sex ratio due to the increased mortality among males could affect female
violence in a similar way war did.
Widespread poverty and unemployment
The pandemic's economic impact is projected to push poverty to levels more than
those seen 30 years ago and cause unemployment in about half a billion people
globally (Shipp 2020; Sumner et al. 2020). In Lebanon, the country was already
battling a plummeting financial crisis and poverty rate had increased to 40% before
the coronavirus crisis (Houssari 2020). With the worsening economic situation and
difficulty providing food for their families, people have started protesting again on the
streets amid the pandemic lockdown (Chulov 2020). Women will be affected more in
a crisis outbreak since they work more in service sector jobs and informal sectors,
such as household cleaning and caring for children, where they have lower wages
and no unemployment insurance (European Parliament A8-0281 2015; Evans 2020;
UN ESCWA 2020; Women's Budget Group 2020). During the Ebola outbreak,
economic stressors affected women's ability to find jobs in the informal sectors and
negatively affected women's financial empowerment (European Parliament A8-
0281 2015). Women are also expected to bear the household responsibility in some
cultures so they might have to sacrifice their jobs to bear that extra responsibility
during those times (Women's Budget Group 2020).

Being unemployed will make the female more financially dependent and will make
her more susceptible to IPV (Bhalotra et al. 2019; Buller et al. 2018; Harman 2016;
Wenham et al. 2020; Women's Budget Group 2020). In addition, male
unemployment has been found to increase IPV, especially physical abuse due to
financial and psychological stressors in countries where women have unequal
access to divorce than men (Bhalotra et al. 2019). In fact, decrease in financial
burden through monetary assistance with cash transfer programs has shown some
decrease in IPV, mostly physical abuse (Buller et al. 2018). In patriarchal societies
where the male is expected to be the provider of the household, financial and
psychological stressors are thought to increase IPV by threatening the male's
authority at home making him more aggressive in an attempt to regain his authority
(Bhalotra et al. 2019; Buller et al. 2018). The economic burden would leave the
female dependent on the male partner making it harder to leave a violent
relationship.

Relationship
Changing norms and shift in gender roles and relationship dynamics
With enforced lockdown and social distancing implemented, new social interaction
norms are emerging. Meetings in person are limited to a small number of people
while practicing social distancing by staying 2 m apart (Center for Disease Control
and Prevention 2020). Schools and universities are using online teaching tools with
online virtual classes. Business meetings are conducted virtually. There is an
increase in the use of online platforms and women in some Lebanese household
might not be familiar with this, especially older adults and those in low-income and
rural communities (Emezue 2020). In addition, resources for support about violence
against women have moved to online platforms and mobile applications, limiting
access to some vulnerable groups with no internet or phone access or no experience
in online platforms (UN Women et al. 2020).

Disease outbreaks shift gender roles and women are more vulnerable due to
assumed gender roles to stay home and sacrifice their career. With school and
daycare closures, parents have to bear the extra responsibility of childcare and
education under lockdown (Evans 2020). In most societies women have the
assumed gender responsibility of taking care of their children in the household,
therefore, they will end up taking unpaid leaves or leaving their work to stay home
with the children (Women's Budget Group 2020). Some girls will not only lose their
work, but also lose their education chance since many of them do not go back to
continue their education (Evans 2020). For example, girls who left school did not go
back after the Ebola crisis and teenage pregnancies increased (Fraser 2020). These
circumstances put the female in a lower status compared with her male counterpart.
With the risk of financial dependency and unemployment, women are at an
increased risk of IPV in places where they have less authority than males (Bhalotra
et al. 2019). The changing norms faced in such a short time along with home
isolation are building stress and tension in households and resulting in increased DV.
An explanation for this observation can be extrapolated from the noted increase in
violence among male Syrian refugees in Lebanon as a reaction to regain their power
in their household when faced with changes in gender roles (Harvey et al. 2013).

Individual
Perpetrator's characteristics and increased violence during the lockdown
The lockdown isolation and unemployment are some repercussions of the COVID-19
pandemic that are resulting in making perpetrators react more violently. News outlets
and NGOs from different parts of the world are reporting cases of women facing new
or increased violence at home. In Lebanon, the founder of an NGO that addresses
violence against women was quoted saying “we're seeing the nature of the violence
become more severe and there are more death threats” during the lockdown (Asharq
Al-Awsat 2020). In Croatia a women reached out for help after her verbally abusive
partner became more aggressive during the lockdown and started physically abusing
her for the first time in their relationship (Bami et al. 2020). In China, a woman
reported that under lockdown tensions grew with her husband, there was no
escaping each other, and they argued all the time until 1 day he became aggressive
and beat her (Taub 2020). The increased stress and tension the pandemic is
building in households is causing dysfunctional families to be at a greater risk of
violence and increasing dysfunctional patterns in abusive partners (Bami et
al. 2020). In addition, there has been an increase in the use of alcohol and
substance abuse during the lockdown, which in itself might contribute to an increase
in IPV and DV (Abdo et al. 2020; Edleson 1999; Marques et al. 2020). Violence
seems to be a venting out behavior. In fact, changes in gender roles among Syrian
refugees in Lebanon was shown to lead to men venting out their frustration on their
women and children to regain power in their household (Harvey et al. 2013). Under
lockdown, perpetrators are on edge and are becoming more violent toward their
partners at home.

Stress frustration and lack of opportunities

In states of emergencies and disasters, there are lockdowns, increased household
tensions, and lack of access to legal support for DV survivors, all of which increase
IPV (DVRCV 2020; Gearhart et al. 2018). The economic burden and unemployment
along with lockdown measures cause increased stress and frustration (Bhalotra et
al. 2019). In addition, with the closure of public and private leisure centers and
activity places, people have lost access to usual stress-relieving mechanisms, such
as exercising at gyms or going for a walk outdoors. This further hinders stress
release and can exacerbate the stress and frustration individuals are feeling which in
turn can increase household tensions that may result in increased IPV (Bouillon-
Minois et al. 2020).

Survivor characteristics and increased violence during the lockdown

Repercussions of public health emergency measures include early marriage,
reduced years of education, and low earning potential. It is expected that the COVID-
19 lockdown measures will produce similar repercussions consistent with the
experiences of previous health emergencies. During the Ebola crisis in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, early marriage and teenage pregnancies increased
and many girls did not go back to school after the lockdown (Boniol et al. 2019). The
effect of lack of education and early marriage will further limit women's already low
earning potential. Women are more likely to work in informal economy where
adequate protection for safe work does not exist and in a lockdown scenario they
risk losing their wages (International Labour Office 2017). Furthermore, since women
are more involved in care work, globally they will suffer burdens of unpaid care work
three times as much as their male counterparts (International Labor
Organization 2018). This will lead to economic strains in the household which has
been shown to increase IPV (Buller et al. 2018). Early marriage and reduced
education further increase the female's risk of experiencing DV or IPV. Lower
threshold of tolerance for the increased violence is seen in female survivors of DV
with a lower socioeconomic status and lower education (Jesmin 2017; Uthman et
al. 2009). This is a major concern because as survivors of DV face worsening
conditions, they will develop lower thresholds for violence and suffer more.

Recommendations to Prevent the Increase in DV During the Pandemic

Several interventions at the individual and community level can help mitigate the
increase of DV in pandemics. Intervention programs that raise awareness about DV
and advocate for nonviolent ways to cope with stress and anger can help in
decreasing violent reactions during crisis. In Lebanon, predating the crisis, an NGO
has been directly engaging perpetrators of violence in stress and anger management
programs, as well as workshops on positive masculinities programming, where men
and boys critically examine conceptions of their own masculinity to reduce
(re)occurrence of violence (Abaad 2012). During lockdown, this work has been
continuing over the phone or teleconferencing modalities whenever lockdown was in
effect. Similar programs, in pre-COVID-19 era, including behavioral and substance
abuse interventions have been shown to significantly decrease IPV (Karakurt et
al. 2019).

At the community level, an emergency preparedness plan needs to be developed to

be used during crisis to prevent confusion and anxiety, maintain resources network,
and slow the increase in violence. In addition, increasing digital literacy and securing
equal access to technology should be advocated for. NGOs and DV response
services need to diversify and publicize widely their outreach services, including
hotlines, for DV survivors during the pandemic, making use of the different virtual
platforms and/or in person respecting safety measures. Moreover, communities can
be engaged in activities that increase social cohesion and provide support to its
individuals. With the increase in telehealth during lockdown, primary care physicians
need to be more tuned to this “second pandemic” and play an important role in
identifying, providing supporting and guidance to survivors, as well as supporting the
mental wellbeing for their community. Lastly, continuation of education needs to be
encouraged during the pandemic because it is a protective factor against DV
(Uthman et al. 2009).

Conclusion
Violence against women increased globally during the COVID-19 pandemic
especially IPV and DV. The lockdown exacerbated several factors that affect
violence against women. It increased household tensions, affected gender roles,
decreased independence, decreased access to supportive services, decreased
stress relieving activities, and increased economic burdens. The different factors
contributing to violence were addressed thoroughly in an attempt to explain why the
increase in DV and IPV occurred during the pandemic. COVID-19's response plan
prioritized the collective safety of the community to limit its spread over personal
freedom and individual's safety for not being exposed to increased violence. This
article sheds the light on factors that exacerbate violence against women during
health emergencies and provides recommendations to tackle them. The strength of
this article is that it is the first of its kind to attempt to explain the observed increased
in violence against women during the pandemic lockdown period using Heise's
ecological model. Limitations of this article are that it does not provide an up-to-date
review of the literature as articles published after June 2020 were not included. In
addition, this article tries to provide an explanation for an observed increase in IPV
and DV, hence agreeing with the assumption that there is an increase. One may
argue that an increased reporting may not necessarily reflect a true increase,
however, articles stating there was a decrease in DV during pandemic were not
found when the search was done. As restrictions for lockdown plans start easing,
survivors of IPV and DV should be approached and have safety plans set in place as
they are not yet safe from their perpetrator. Efforts should be made on a national and
a global level to respond to violence against women in this challenging
unprecedented time especially when the community's collective safety is at risk.
Increased work, domestic abuse — how
Covid lockdown was especially hard on
women in India
New Delhi: The Covid-19 pandemic significantly
altered people’s lives and most significantly family
dynamics. The nationwide lockdown, imposed in
March last year, was especially difficult for women
since they had to juggle household chores and manage
their work.

By the second month of lockdown, complaints about

domestic abuse doubled. Such complaints rose
from 116 in the first week of March to 257 in the final
week.
According to official data, the National Commission for
Women (NCW) registered an increase of 2.5 times in
complaints of domestic violence in April last year. The
NCW received 1,477 complaints between 25 March and
31 May.

A study by researcher Priyanshi Chauhan found that

“approximately 22.5% of married women, as compared
to zero men and unmarried women, worked for more
than 70 hours per week” during the lockdown. The
study also said unemployed women witnessed the
highest increase of 30.5 percentage points for those
who spent more than 70 hours per week on unpaid
work.

Burden on women 
According to activist Shabnam Hashmi, the Covid-19
induced lockdown “trapped” women in their own
houses, depriving them of “breathing space”, which
they would otherwise get.

“The problem here is the mentality. Women, whether

working or not, are expected to bear the entire burden
of the family. The lockdown made it worse,” Hashmi
told ThePrint.
“As soon as the entire family started staying together,
24 hours, in a confined space, the woman in the house
is tasked with working and dealing with everything like
a machine, from morning till night. Domestic help was
also removed by families over fear of Covid, so
ultimately from cooking, cleaning to washing,
everything fell on her,” she added.

Hashmi also noted that women also bore the brunt of

financial instability that arose due to the pandemic.

“Working women had to juggle between work and

family. The pandemic also saw many layoffs. Women
became the object for facing the brunt and frustration
arising from financial instability.”

Rise in domestic abuse

The change in family dynamics also led to women
being forced to stay with their abusers.

“Abuse — whether physical, mental or emotional —

increased because women during the lockdown period
found no respite. They were confined to the walls of the
house with their abusers. Drinking or not drinking,
these abusers find reasons on a daily basis to vent their
frustration on the women, and the pandemic made it
worse,” Hashmi said.
She added that the figures of domestic abuse are from
those who found the courage to pick up the phone and
complain. “There will be many others, staying in joint
families who suffer abuse regularly but don’t complain
for the sake of privacy and thinking that matters could
get worse.”

For working women, work from home during

lockdown was an extra burden, juggling between work
overload and family responsibilities.

“Violence against women has increased manifold

during the pandemic. This comes with the pressure on
women to balance household chores and work life,”
said Ranjana Kumari, director of Centre for Social
Research.

“Offices need to understand that work from home for

women comes with added burden,” Kumari added.
Gender-Based Violence During COVID-19
Pandemic: A Mini-Review

Purpose: Quarantine is necessary to reduce the

community spread of the Coronavirus disease, but it
also has serious psychological and socially disruptive
consequences. This is known as the quarantine
paradox that also includes a surge in the cases of
gender-based violence. However, there exists a clear
gap of rigorous literature exploring the issue. Hence,
the current paper attempts to understand gender-
based violence as an aspect of the COVID-19 lockdown.
It reviews the pattern of rise in gender violence cases
and the resultant psychological and social issues and
attempts to create awareness by initiating a discourse
urging for change in the response towards the victims
of gender-based violence. The paper further attempts
to suggest measures to mitigate the issues arising out
of gender violence during quarantine.
Method: The current paper reviews the literature on
the rise of gender-based violence in the times of
current and past pandemics. The paper also reviews
the published reports in scientific as well as mass
media literatures focusing on the rise of gender-based
violence during the imposed lockdown, its
consequences, and the measures taken by the
governments to tackle the issue.
Results: The present review reveals that similar to the
previous pandemics and epidemics, there has been an
alarming rise in the incidents of gender-based violence
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present review
further reveals various other risk factors that have
been found attributive to the surge of gender-based
violence such as economic insecurity and alcohol
consumption. The results of the review indicate that
despite its global prevalence, gender-based violence
has been one of the most neglected outcomes of
pandemics. Moreover, the legislatures and services
available for such victims are often inadequate and,
thus, worsening their situation.
Conclusion: Pandemic situations have been found to
be associated with advancements in the medical field.
However, a part and parcel of this situation is the age-
old practice of quarantine that has several negative
outcomes. This also includes a surge in gender-based
violence that raises serious concerns about the safety of
women. As the legislatures provided and measures
taken by the governments are falling short in dealing
with the issue, a number of non-government
organizations are stepping up to provide necessary
services to these victims.
Pandemic and Gender-Based
Violence
Quarantine has been an effective measure of controlling
infection since the 14th century. The medieval societies
were able to establish a link between the emergence of
symptoms and the duration of time. The origin of the term
is rooted in the health practice related to plague back in
1377 AD when ships were isolated for 30 days and land
travelers for 40 days in the sea port of Ragusa (1). However,
the earliest record of quarantine can be traced back to 532
AD (2). Since then, the practice of quarantine has been
utilized to reduce the spread of contagious diseases. With
the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, there is a
mounting pressure on the governments to take measures to
reduce the community spread of the disease. Hence, in the
absence of a vaccine or effective treatment, going into
quarantine for varying periods of time is being adopted as
an option by most countries. This has led to a drastic
alteration in the day-to-day lifestyle of the individuals. Most
of the work is being done from home, and efforts are being
made to maintain social distance. These measures are
crucial to the protection of healthcare systems. However,
just like one coin has two sides, the positive efforts to tackle
COVID-19 have negative consequences associated with
them. These negative consequences include the risk of
losing jobs, economic vulnerabilities, and psychological
health issues resulting from isolation, loneliness, and
uncertainty, among others. This can be regarded as the
quarantine paradox. History has witnessed the weakening
of the states in the face of pandemics and outbreaks. The
Antonine plague of 161 AD had economically weakened the
Roman Empire (3). The Byzantine empire too had suffered
weakening of the economic infrastructure during the
Justinian plague (4). Past researches indicate that the risk
of serious psychological consequences increases with the
increase in the duration of the quarantine (5). According to
Hawryluck et al. (6) and Reynolds et al. (7), a longer
duration of quarantine was found to be associated with
increased symptoms of PTSD. Lee et al. (8) reported that
the risk of developing PTSD symptoms persisted despite
home quarantine. Another downside of quarantine is the
increase in cases of gender-based violence that is frequently
ignored (9). Gender-based violence is a form of violence
targeting a person based on the gender of an individual. It is
a complex phenomenon that includes combinations of
sexual, physical, and emotional violence and neglect or
deprivation (10). CEDAW (Committee on Elimination of
Discrimination Against Women) has defined gender-based
violence as a form of violence that disproportionately affects
women. Some common forms of gender-based violence
include sexual violence, violence against women, domestic
violence, and harmful traditional practices, such as female
genital mutilation. For the present paper, the term gender-
based violence has been used to denote different aspects of
domestic violence against women.

According to an article published in a national newspaper of

India, The Hindu, the National Commission for Women
(NCW) recorded a twofold rise in the cases of gender
violence (11). Several researches indicate a rise in family
violence and sexual violence during and after any large
crisis or disaster [e.g., (12, 13)].

Relation Between Gender-Based

Violence and Crisis Situations
Violence has generally been found to increase in the face of
pandemics. For instance, Rose (14) reported an erosion of
social norms and increase in violence in Bologna, Italy, in
the context of plague and natural disaster. According to
UNFPA (15), pandemics often lead to breakdowns of social
infrastructures thus compounding the already existing
weaknesses and conflicts. As a result, the existing gender
inequality is worsened by the pandemic situations. It also
increases the exposure of children and women to
harassment and sexual violence when they try to procure
necessities such as water, food, and firewood. Several
researches report that gender-based violence is more
prevalent in HIV hyper-endemic countries [e.g., (10, 16)].
Researchers have observed a link between the prevalence of
HIV epidemic and gender-based violence in India as well
(17, 18). A report about rapid gender analysis on COVID-19
by CARE and International Rescue had expected gender-
based violence to rise amid pandemic and quarantines.
Hence, the report had also recommended to prepare and
build on existing services for the victims of gender-based
violence. The report further emphasized on the need to
strengthen online services to provide psychological support
and legal aid services (19). According to Menendez et al.
(20), often women do not have rights over their sexual
choices. Consequently, they experience sexual violence and
the risk of exposure to the virus through the male carrier.
Okur (21) emphasized that sexual and gender-based
violence increases during crisis situations due to breakdown
in law. Thus, the victims often do not receive the adequate
support, and the perpetrators get exempted from
punishment. Also, according to the WHO global ethics unit
(22), gender roles affect all aspects of an endemic including
interpersonal violence. It also emphasized the need of
various services to minimize the risk of violence when
people are quarantined at home or in institutions. Hence,
the present research shall focus on the gender-based
violence, because despite being a global phenomenon, it is
highly underreported due to stigma and social pressures.
Moreover, there is a lack of studies focusing on the
prevalence of gender-based violence during disasters.
Consequently, those responding to disasters are often not
aware of the possibility of surge in the cases of gender-
based violence. Therefore, they often do not prepare to deal
with, thereby making the situation worse. In fact, according
to John et al. (23), these are the lessons never learnt.
Therefore, we have a limited understanding toward how the
victims of gender-based violence respond to the situation of
the current pandemic. Hence, the present research reviews
the linkages between gender violence and pandemic and
also attempts to identify the potential policy responses to
moderate the issue.

In the past, crises have been linked with a surge in cases of

gender violence (24–27). A surge in intimate partner
violence was observed during other disasters such as
Earthquake in Haiti in 2007, Hurricane Katrina in 2005,
and Eruption of Mount Saint Helens in the 1980s due to
unemployment, family, and other stressors (28). Even
during the South Asian Tsunami of 2004, a surge in gender-
based violence was observed. Fisher (29) emphasized that
in the aftermath of Tsunami, several incidents of violence
against women and sexual assault were reported in Sri
Lanka. According to researchers, pandemics cannot be
considered an exception to this (9). Sikira and Urassa (30)
reported an increase in wife battering in the face of the HIV
pandemic due to suspicion of extramarital affairs. Recent
outbreaks such as Ebola, Cholera, Zika, and Nipah have also
led to an increase in the cases of domestic violence (31).
During the Ebola virus outbreak, women and girls were
especially vulnerable to violence because of the inability to
escape their abuser. Moreover, the victims of violence were
not recognized and were often left unattended (32).
According to Yasmin (33), cases of rape, violence against
women, and sexual assault also increased during the Ebola
outbreak in West Africa.

There are a number of reasons for such increase in gender

violence cases. Arthur and Clark (34) also identified
economic dependence as a cause for domestic violence.
During quarantine, as more women were in informal jobs
and got laid off, this led to them experiencing a greater
impact as they became economically dependent on their
male counterparts. According to Alon et al. (35), lesser
women than men are in telecommutable jobs, thus making
it difficult for them to adapt to the changing conditions.
This increased economic dependence not only increases
their risk of gender-based violence but also makes it
difficult to leave their perpetrators. Pandemics like
influenza, swine flu, and SARS have been found to result in
psychological issues such as anxiety, substance abuse,
PTSD, and sleep disturbances that often tend to continue
even after the pandemic (36, 37). According to a research by
Zhang et al. (38), increased prevalence of depressive
symptoms could be observed among COVID 19 patients. A
significant rise in anxiety levels of the COVID-19 patients as
well as the general public was reported by the findings of
the study. In return, these mental health issues and related
factors such as alcoholism tend to lead to a rise in gender-
based violence (39–42). Several researchers have reported
that the sales of alcohol have skyrocketed during pandemic
[e.g., (43, 44)]. Polakovic (43) reported a rise of 55% in the
consumption of alcoholic beverages in the United States.
Evidence also suggests that increase in male migration
reduces gender violence due to reduced exposure to the
potential perpetrators (45). When under quarantine,
women individuals are in close proximity to the male
members with limited to no freedom to go out, thus leading
to an increase in gender violence at home. Pandemics also
increase economic vulnerabilities because of the rise in
unemployment, or, in the risk of unemployment. Several
studies link economic insecurities to increased gender-
based violence. Economic insecurity has been found to be
linked to adopting poor coping strategies that are inclusive
of substance abuse (46–48). These, in turn, have been
found to be associated with various forms of gender-based
violence (49). However, interesting gender differences can
be observed in this context. Bhalotra et al. (50) reported
that increase in male unemployment was associated with
increase in interpersonal violence against women where an
increase in women unemployment was associated with a
decrease in violence against them. According to Schneider
et al. (51), such an outcome could be because of male
backlash resulting from feelings of emasculation and
inadequacy at not being able to serve the role of a
breadwinner of the family. According to Bradbury-Jones
and Isham (52), it could also be because of the distorted
power dynamics at home resulting in abuse and gender
violence that escapes the scrutiny of anyone from outside.
The problem of gender-based violence during the pandemic
further worsens because the police are unable to tackle the
issue of gender-based violence. According to a report,
gender-based violence in Liberia could have also increased
because the police were overwhelmed and unable to defend
the victims (53). Richards (54) reported that economic
strain, substance abuse, and isolation all tend to increase
the risk of domestic violence. Based on the above literature
review, it is evident that understanding of gender violence is
a key priority in order to achieve gender equality globally.

Past researches have established a strong link between

different forms of gender-based violence and psychological
issues. Thus, it is all the more important to tackle the issue
of rising gender-based violence in the face of COVID-19. It
has been reported that women who experience one form of
gender-based violence are more likely to experience other
forms of gender violence (55). According to Campbell (56),
intimate partner violence is associated with PTSD,
depression, chronic pain, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.
Woods (57) reported that PTSD symptoms could be
observed in both abused and post-abused women. Jackson
et al. (58) established a link between traumatic brain injury
and woman battering. They reported that the frequency of
being hit in the head was significantly correlated with
severe cognitive symptoms. Walker (59) reported that
victims of domestic violence experience a sequelae of
psychological symptoms that include anxiety, depression,
avoidance, reexperiencing of traumatic events, and hyper-
arousal.

COVID-19 and Gender Violence

COVID-19 seems to be similar to the pandemics in the past
since this too has resulted in an increase in cases of
domestic violence. According to Bradbury-Jones and Isham
(52), the lockdown imposed to deal with COVID-19 has
granted greater freedom to abusers. Several media reports
indicate a surge in cases of domestic violence in various
countries. According to Kagi (60), though a drop was
observed in the overall crime rates in Australia, the
domestic abuse rates increased by 5%. Some charities in
Australia also raised concerns about COVID-19
misinformation being used by the offenders to further
control and abuse the victims of domestic violence (61).
Allen-Ebrahimian (62) reported that China witnessed a
three-fold increase in the cases of domestic violence after
imposing quarantine. Different states in the United States
also reported an increase of about 21–35% in domestic
violence (63). Even the UK has been facing concerns due to
rising family violence. There has also been an apparent
increase in the number of domestic homicides (64). The
Refuge website recorded an increase of 150% in the calls
about domestic abuse (65). An article in The Indian Express
draws attention to the fact that a vast majority of people in
Mumbai do not have household water connections. With
rising summer temperatures, people spending more time at
homes during lockdowns, and emphasis on handwashing,
there comes the need for household water. Consequently,
many women are turning to underground water market
operating under the cloak of darkness. Moreover, women
have been spending more time queuing up for water and
often approach the market in the wee hours of mornings
where they often face verbal and sexual harassment (66).
Despite this increase in incidents of gender-based violence,
Jagori, a Delhi-based NGO, has witnessed a drop in calls on
its helpline numbers by 50%. This could be because of the
fear of getting discovered by their offenders at home
according to Jaya Velankar, Director Jagori (67). According
to Bradbury-Jones and Isham (52), the lockdown imposed
to deal with COVID-19 has granted greater freedom to
abusers. It has become easier for the abusers to enforce
control tactics by limiting the access of the victims to
phones, internet, and other people. van Gelder et al. (68)
also emphasized that the lockdown limits familiar support
options. In an article published by BU today (69), Rothman
who is a professor of Community Health Sciences raised
concerns about declaring sale of guns to be essential
services in some states of the United States. This increases
the likelihood of fatal interpersonal violence. Fielding (70)
pointed out that the victims of abuse may even be scared to
visit a hospital for treatment of their injuries due to the fear
of contracting the COVID-19 disease.

Tackling Gender-Based Violence

During COVID-19
The first step to tackle the issue of rising gender violence in
the times of pandemic is the acknowledgment of the issue,
which has been ignored during the pandemics in the past
(71). Campbell (28) emphasizes that expanding community
partnerships and spreading awareness about the
importance of reporting incidents of abuse are crucial to
reducing the number of such cases. According to Bradbury
and Isham (52), one way to deal with the issue of domestic
violence is by constantly asking if people feel safe at home.
However, it is very crucial that the people asking these
questions have the time and emotional resources. It is often
possible that the victims may communicate in subtle and
indirect ways, which can be easily missed. They also
emphasize the importance of online and telephonic services
for those seeking therapeutic interventions, counseling, or
any other kind of support. Gerster (72) emphasizes that
neighbors of families with violence can also help to reduce
domestic violence by initiating conversation with them.
Researchers also emphasize the need to train healthcare
workers to recognize the signs of violence to tackle the issue
of gender-based violence (73, 74). Van Gelder et al. (68)
emphasize the role of the media to raise awareness about
the issue of gender violence during pandemic as well as
about the practices that can replace the conventional in-
person support. These may include offering supportive
statements, promoting safety guidelines via advertisements,
bystander approaches, and accessing help on behalf of the
victim after obtaining consent. They also call for increase in
service availability and funding for protection needs and
shelters during quarantine. Hatchimonji et al. (71) called for
coupling physical distancing with social support to ensure
that it does not exacerbate gender violence. There is also a
strong need to strengthen the helpline services which
victims of gender violence can utilize without alerting their
offenders. Antonio Guteres, the United Nations Secretary
General, also emphasized the need for the countries to
prioritize support by setting up emergency warning systems
for individuals facing family violence (75). Mazza et al. (76)
have emphasized on the need of a trained multidisciplinary
staff including psychologists, psychiatrists, and social and
legal services to prevent acts of domestic violence and
ensure accurate assessment of various domains of the
abuse.

Some countries have in fact tried to adapt to the situation of

quarantine resulting from COVID-19 by implementing
several practices to reduce gender-based violence. For
instance, France has set up warning systems at groceries
and pharmacies to enable victims of gender and family
violence to alert the authorities (77). They may also alert the
staff about the required help by using code words that have
been introduced. Domestic Violence Resource Center
Australia has also issued specific guidance for family and
friends to support those in family violence situations (78).
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and UN Women
have published guidelines that can be utilized by various
governments to include gender considerations into their
responses (15, 79). National Domestic Violence Hotline,
USA, has also been offering service via online texting chat
so that victims of domestic violence can seek help (80). In
Beijing, a judicial court has been using cloud-based
platforms and online court hearings to deal with cases of
gender-based violence in the times of pandemic (81). Nair
and Banerjee (82) emphasized the need for the combined
efforts of health professionals with print and digital media
to avoid misinformation and educate people about abuse
prevention.
In a conversation with staff of AALI (Association for
Advocacy and Legal Initiative, Lucknow, India), it was
revealed that the actions being taken by the authorities in
India are insufficient to deal with the issue of gender
violence during COVID-19. NGOs have requested to
publicize the phone numbers of the protection officers by
sticking them outside their offices to make them more
accessible to the victims. The AALI staff member also
expressed concern over a lack of sense of urgency when
dealing with domestic violence cases under lockdown. The
effectiveness of the helplines is reduced if it is not followed
by necessary action and is merely recorded as data. The
National Commission of Women (NCW), India and NGOs
such as Jagori have compiled information pertaining to the
One Stop Centers, protection officers, and other support
services on their websites. Aman: global Voices for Peace in
the Home, which is a network of over 146 organizations and
individuals working on the issue of violence against women
across 18 states in India, has written a letter to the National
Commission of Women, India with collective
recommendations to respond to the situation of women
facing violence under lockdown. The recommendations
include making the helpline numbers such as 181 and 1,091
functional; publicizing the support services and resources
available; utilizing Nirbhaya funds (Nirbhaya Fund is a
corpus fund of Indian rupee 10 billion created by the
Government of India to support the activities and initiatives
of the government and NGOs working towards protecting
the dignity and ensuring safety of women in India.) to
increase the availability of resources available to NGOs
offering legal aid, counseling, and shelter to women facing
violence; developing special protocols to provide support to
trans women, disabled women, and migrant women who
are even more marginalized and have negligible access to
support; and forming a panel of lawyers offering legal
information to women over phone, among others. The
Aman network has also recommended to build a temporary
shelter in the Kashmir Valley, as there are no shelter homes
built under the Protection of Women under the Domestic
Violence Act, 2005.

The outcome of gender-based violence is long lasting for its

victims, and rampant for the responses that are often
inadequate. Hence, it is crucial to maintain a sense of
urgency in cases of gender-based violence even during crisis
situations. Based on the above literature review, it can be
maintained that there is a need for a holistic response
model to deal with the issue of gender-based violence
during current and possible future pandemics. Health
professionals, media, and community efforts must be
combined to effectively deal with the issue of gender-based
violence. Moreover, continuous and rigorous efforts are
required to put an end to the stigma associated with gender-
based violence.

Conclusion
The spread of the novel Coronavirus has created a myriad of
problems for the people to grapple with. In the absence of a
vaccine and effective treatment for this virus, the
governments are forced to impose quarantines to reduce the
spread of the disease. However, this has resulted in a
paradox of social distancing, which includes issues such as
economic instability, mental health problems, and isolation.
Although there have been researches exploring the impact
of COVID-19, there is a lack of rigorous literature
highlighting these issues from the perspective of gender.
This also involves the issue of rising gender violence during
the pandemic. COVID-19 has not only led to an increase in
the cases of gender-based violence but has disconnected
them from their support networks. To reduce the
prevalence of the issue, it is crucial to acknowledge the
extent of gender-based violence, reimagine government
policies, and support networks to make it easier for the
victims to access them and, lastly, create awareness about
the issue as well as the resources available to tackle it.

Author Contributions
SM and TS contributed to the conception, structure of the
paper, contributed to analysis, and interpretation of
available literature. SM contributed to the development
initial draft. TS reviewed and critiqued the output for
important intellectual content. All authors contributed to
the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the
absence of any commercial or financial relationships that
could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic

violence
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic many countries have reported an increase
in domestic violence and intimate partner violence. United Nations Secretary-
General António Guterres, noting the "horrifying global surge", has called for a
domestic violence "ceasefire".[1][2] UN Women stated that COVID-19 created
"conditions for abuse that are ideal for abusers because it forced people into
lockdown" thus causing a "shadow pandemic" that exacerbated preexisting
issues with domestic violence globally.[3]
Domestic violence and sexual exploitation, which is already an epidemic
around the world, spike when households were placed under the increased
strains that come from security, health and money worries, and cramped and
confined living conditions. Prior to the pandemic, it was estimated that one in
three women will experience violence during their lifetimes, a human rights
violation that also bears an economic cost of US$1.5 trillion.[4][5][6] Many of these
women are now trapped at home with their abusers and are at increased risk
of other forms of violence as overloaded healthcare systems and disrupted
justice services struggle to respond.[4][5][6] Women especially essential and
informal workers, such as doctors, nurses and street vendors are at
heightened risk of violence as they navigate deserted urban or rural public
spaces and transportation services under lockdown.[4][5][6]
More domestic violence helplines and shelters around the world are reporting
rising calls for help.In a number of countries, domestic violence reports and
emergency calls have surged upwards of 25 per cent since social distancing
measures were enacted. Such numbers are also likely to reflect only the worst
cases.[4][5][6] In Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the United
Kingdom, and the United States, government authorities, women's rights
activists and civil society partners have flagged increasing reports of domestic
violence during the crisis, and heightened demand for emergency shelter.[4][7]
  The European Parliament issued a press release addressing the issue writing
[6]

"we won’t leave Europe's women alone" and asked member states to increase
support to domestic violence victims during the pandemic.[8]

Background[edit]
Main article: Domestic violence

Pandemics, financial insecurity, stress and uncertainty have led to increased

aggression at home, which was seen previously with the global financial crisis
in 2009 and natural disasters such as the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with
abusers able to control large amounts of their victims' daily lives.[9] Domestic
violence also increases whenever families spend more time together, such as
during Christmas vacations.[10] As stated by the French Secretary of
Equality Marlene Schiappa, "Confinement is a breeding ground for domestic
abuse."[11]

Impact on ability to access help[edit]

Prior to the pandemic, less than 40 percent of the women who experienced
violence sought help of any sort. Now, quarantine and movement restrictions
further serve to isolate many women trapped with their abusers from friends,
families and other support networks. And, the closure of non-essential
businesses means that work no longer provides respite for many survivors
and heightened economic insecurity makes it more difficult for them to leave.
For those who do manage to reach out, overstretched health, social, judicial
and police services are struggling to respond as resources are diverted to deal
with the pandemic.[4][7][6]

Situation by country
India[edit]
India's National Commission for Women (NCW) has seen a more than twofold
rise in gender-based violence during the lockdown in India.[50] Between 23
March and 16 April NCW registered 587 domestic violence complaints, a
~45% increase from the previous 25 days.[51][52] Factors compounding the
situation include the confinement, financial worries due to the lockdown, and
lack of access to alcohol.[51][53] The virus mirrored the pre-existing patriarchal
notions[54] and magnified the discrimination and pre-existing inequalities.[55][56]
[57]
 There has also been a threefold rise in police apathy towards women
complaints, with the police busy with lockdown orders.[58] Indian women rights
activist Kavita Krishnan said that women told her that had the Indian
government given a warning about the lockdown, they could have tried
moving to safer locations in time.[59]
The Childline India helpline received more than 92,000 calls between 20 and
31 March, the start of India's lockdown, asking for protection from abuse and
violence. The extended confinement has also trapped children with their
abusers at home.[60]

Mandatory stay-at-home rules, economic uncertainty, and anxiety

caused by the pandemic have led to an increase in domestic violence.

by ARJUN KUMAR, BALWANT SINGH MEHTA, SIMI MEHTA

5 min read

    

In the run-up to the announcement of the nationwide lockdown on March

24th, 2020, the government failed to craft strategies to address possible fallout
in several areas. One such area that went unaddressed was domestic violence.
The term domestic violence is used in many countries to refer to intimate
partner violence, but it also encompasses child and elder abuse, and abuse by
any member of a household. While women alone don’t face domestic violence,
the rates of violence and abuse directed at women are high, particularly from
perpetrators known to them. According to the World Health Organization, one
in every three women across the globe experience physical and/or sexual
violence in their lifetime; and at least 30 percent of all women in relationships
have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their partners.
Related article: The blindspot in our response to COVID-19
Domestic violence in India
According to the Crime in India Report 2018, published by the National Crime
Research Bureau (NCRB), a crime is recorded against women in India every
1.7 minutes and a woman is subjected to domestic violence every 4.4 minutes.
It also topped the categories of violence against women according to the
report. As per the data, 89,097 cases related to crimes against women were
registered across India in 2018, higher than the 86,001 cases registered in
2017.
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16 highlighted that 30
percent of women in India between the ages of 15-49 have experienced
physical violence. The report suggests that among married women
experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, an alarming 83 percent list
their husbands as the main perpetrators, followed by abuse from their
husbands’ mothers (56 percent), fathers (33 percent), and siblings (27
percent).
These statistics don’t capture the data on violence against women in its
entirety. This is primarily due to the prevalence of orthodox social norms and
the stigma that is placed on survivors of sexual or domestic violence, resulting
in cases being grossly underreported. Women also feel unsafe while
approaching the police, because they worry that if their partners are arrested,
they may face worse abuse once they are released, and in the interim, might
face harassment from their in-laws or others.

Domestic violence in the context of COVID-19

Fuelled by mandatory stay-at-home rules, physical distancing, economic
uncertainties, and anxieties caused by the pandemic, domestic violence has
increased globally. Across the world, countries including China, United
States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Tunisia, France, Australia, and others have
reported cases of increased domestic violence and intimate partner violence.
India, infamous for gender-based violence (and ranked the fourth
worst country for gender equality, according to public perception), is showing
similar trends.
Emergencies exacerbate domestic violence

We know that women tend to face greater risks during emergencies, including

health disasters such as pandemics. We also know that during times of
economic hardship, there is an increase in violent, abusive, impulsive,
compulsive, and controlling behaviour and aggression directed towards
cohabiting partners and romantic partners. This has been widely studied since
the time of the Great Depression, and seminal studies (such as feminist
scholar evidence of the destructive effects of unemployment, lost income, and
economic hardship on marital conflict, parenting quality, and child well-being.
Women whose livelihoods have been affected by the crisis, might also now be
in financial distress—which is one of the barriers to removing themselves from
a violent household. Women who might have been saving up money to leave,
might now have to utilise these savings elsewhere.
Related article: Backlash: The consequences of defying gender norms
The lockdown affects the situation further

Within a few days of the lockdown in India, the National Commission of

Women (NCW) noted a rise in the number of domestic violence complaints
received via email. The NCW chairperson believes that the real figure is likely
to be higher, since the bulk of complaints come from women who send their
complaints by post, and might not be able to use the internet. Between the
beginning of March and April 5th, the NCW received 310 grievances of
domestic violence and 885 complaints for other forms of violence against
women, many of which are domestic in nature—such as bigamy, polygamy,
dowry deaths, and harassment for dowry.
The number of cases reported are most likely not proportional to the actual
rise in domestic violence. This is because people locked in with their abusers
may not be able to get access to a mobile phone, nor the space and time to call
for help. Most avenues to seek help or to physically remove themselves from
their situations are impaired.
Being trapped in a space with violent or manipulative individuals could lead to
increased rates and intensity of threats, physical, sexual, and psychological
abuse, humiliation, intimidation, and controlling behaviour. The ability to
isolate a person from family and friends, monitor their movements, and
restrict access to financial resources, employment opportunities, education, or
medical care is heightened by a lockdown. These behaviours often have lasting
effects on people, and can significantly affect mental health and well-being.
What could have been done, and what can we do going forward?

When governments start putting together plans to respond to crises such as

COVID-19, addressing domestic violence must be prioritised. In India, the
government seems to have overlooked the need to formally integrate domestic
violence and mental health repercussions into the public health preparedness
and emergency response plans against the pandemic.
We need an aggressive nationwide campaign to promote awareness about
domestic violence, and highlight the various modes through which complaints
can be filed. National news channels, radio channels, and social media
platforms must be strategically used, similar to the way in which the
government has deployed campaigns advocating for physical distancing and
hand washing to combat COVID-19.

Reaching out to people facing domestic violence and in distress needs to be

classified as an ‘essential service’ by the government.

Citizens must be sensitised towards the increased risks of domestic violence,

and bystanders and neighbours should be urged to intervene if they suspect
abuse, using tactics such as the banging on the door or ringing the bell. They
should also be provided the benefit of anonymity if they choose to report a
case.
When people are unable to file complaints through messages, post, or calls,
essential services such as hospitals, grocery stores, and medical stores must be
urged to help people get necessary support and send their messages to the
authorities if needed. In France and Spain, pharmacies are being trained to
identify people facing abuse through codewords: asking for ‘mask 19’ is being
used as a code for people who cannot speak openly, to indicate that they are
being abused and are seeking help.
Civil society organisations are critical to providing assistance. Hundreds of
nonprofits are working to enable access to medical assistance, legal aid,
counselling, 24×7 shelter needs, and so on. Therefore, in its efforts to combat
COVID-19, the government must allow civil society organisations, counsellors,
mental health organisations, and other service providers to come to the aid of
people facing domestic violence.
Reaching out to people facing domestic violence and in distress needs to be
classified as an ‘essential service’ by the government.