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Domestic Violence

The editorial discusses the alarming rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 lockdown, with reports of increased distress calls to helplines in the US and concerns for vulnerable individuals trapped with their abusers. The Women Action Forum has urged the Sindh government to uphold protective laws and ensure the operation of domestic violence helplines and shelters. The piece highlights the need for attention to domestic violence as a persistent issue, exacerbated by the pandemic.

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Kamran Khan
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28 views1 page

Domestic Violence

The editorial discusses the alarming rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 lockdown, with reports of increased distress calls to helplines in the US and concerns for vulnerable individuals trapped with their abusers. The Women Action Forum has urged the Sindh government to uphold protective laws and ensure the operation of domestic violence helplines and shelters. The piece highlights the need for attention to domestic violence as a persistent issue, exacerbated by the pandemic.

Uploaded by

Kamran Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Domestic violence

Dawn-Editorial,
April 15, 2020

WHEN governments around the world first began announcing lockdown measures to stop the
spread of the novel coronavirus, a distinct unease was expressed by women activists, rights
group and shelter homes, remembering all too clearly the fallout of previous environmental and
financial disasters on families. With millions of people confined to the four walls of their homes
during the current crisis, they feared there would be a sudden increase in the number of
domestic violence cases, especially against children and women. And, indeed, this is precisely
what is now being witnessed around the world. In the US, for instance, domestic abuse
helplines and police stations have been receiving 10pc to 30pc more distress calls in recent
weeks. With self-isolation being encouraged or enforced by states, victims of domestic abuse
and sexual assault are largely being forgotten in the ‘big picture’ battle against Covid-19.
However, such vulnerable individuals are facing multiple layers of isolation: trapped in close
proximity with their abusers who mentally and physically torture them, and with nowhere to
escape, they are cut off from any kind of support system they may have been able to access
before the lockdowns were put in place. Added to this is the rise of unemployment and stress
within families, which is known to lead to increased instances of violence.

According to WHO, approximately 38pc of all women’s murders are committed by an intimate
partner, and Pakistan has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world. Keeping
these chilling realities in mind, and acknowledging the current strain on law-enforcement
agencies, the Women Action Forum has urged the Sindh government to ensure protection of
vulnerable women and children during these difficult times by upholding laws such as the Sindh
Domestic Violence Act, 2013, and making sure that domestic violence helplines and shelter
homes remain in operation. This advice should extend to all of Pakistan. The current pandemic
may be a new threat that we may know how to defeat, but violence against women is an age-old
evil.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2020

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