Domestic Violence During Pandemic

Introduction:

With the deep-rooted patriarchal construct Indian society glorifies; women have always been at the worst end. With men finding new hobbies and trying to pass time during this pandemic the women of the house are again shown the gates of the kitchen and do the household chores.

The metaphor of Laxman Rekha that the PM Modi used to ask people to stay at home has a different meaning for domestic violence victims, for them, Ravan is not out of the house but a relative in the house, for them Laxman Rekha is a boundation that will not keep them safe but will perpetuate the harm caused if they don’t surpass it. Domestic violence is an indoor crime that is inflicted by a close relative in an intimate relationship like marriage, dating, cohabitation, family relationships, etc.

Domestic violence includes any physical, mental, verbal, emotional, sexual abuse faced by a person. Like any other country, India has also seen a surge in Domestic Violence cases and this surge and minimum assistance have shown us the broken system India still has.

Increasing Cases of Domestic Violence

Stay Home, Stay Safe a slogan which the government and people around the world are proclaiming have forgotten that for the victims of domestic violence ‘Home’ and ‘Safe’ cannot go hand in hand it is a home of abuse, rape, violence mental or physical or both. Gender-based violence has particularly outperformed in the crimes during the nationwide lockdown.

While the bureaucrats are battling the global pandemic the women have been forgotten and their battles with patriarchy are surfacing, as said their fight with everyday pandemic is surfacing. For the longest time, the topic of domestic violence has been ignored in India due to the prevalent cultural norms and stereotypes attached to the word and act of “Divorce”. Most of the victims want their abusers to not repeat the act again so they seek counseling and want their abusers to seek counseling; they want to punish the abusers but don’t want to involve the authorities.

The patriarchal structure has made such a strong foundation in Indian society that one in every three women in India face Domestic Violence once in their lifetime. The men of the society have been grown to be the breadwinners, so during this pandemic when they were told to sit in the house and asked to help in the household chores or told how to do a particular task, they feel that they are bossed around, they feel the frustration and then of this frustration women are at the receiving end.

Men think that they should not be answerable to anyone and what they say is the law of the land and in times like these when the income is shrinking the mounting pressure has lead them to take it out on women, children, elderly, etc. It is also prevalent in these times that the shelters which foundation is made upon saving the domestic violence survivors and victims’ are not allowing them to enter the area due to the fear of the corona virus.

It is also observed in these times that women are not only facing such problems in the house of their in-laws but also their maternal house as their relatives find feeding them an extra burden when income and food supply is short. The house which is supposed to be their haven has turned to the same hell they ran away from.

Lack of Political Stand Point and Awareness

The government is also at an equal footing when it comes to the domestic violence abusers, the bureaucrats have failed to keep in mind and address the problems which can be faced when they are locked in the house, they were so adamant in keeping everyone in the house they have forgotten what threats to life staying in the house, living with the abusers it can pose. The policymakers have failed to feel and anticipate the harm that women can face.

There is a need for strong political messaging and awarding people about the repercussions of such acts. It is the work of government to stand on the footing with women and let the abusers know that there exists zero tolerance for the domestic violence and dignity of women as well as every domestic violence victim is to be upheld. There also exists a huge gender gap when accessing WhatsApp helplines, e-mails, websites, etc because there is a considerable amount of victims who don’t have access to the more technical ways of saving oneself and lack of awareness about traditional ways have made them suffer in silence.

Lack of Legal Remedies

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 is well-formed but not that useful in times like these. The act though provides for shelter homes, protection officers who can be appointed in any number, counseling, etc. but the states have failed to provide shelter homes or have very low areas assigned to them. The states are not providing the conveyance facility to go to any safe place like shelter homes or any other relatives’ house where the victim can find shed to stay.

The Police Officers are already heavily burdened and do not find Domestic Violence cases of high priority, most importantly the victims don’t have access to legal aid clinics, courts, protection officers, etc. hence due to low moral policing and not so strong anticipation of conditions which can arise the victims have no to minimum access to legal machinery. The government should declare small hotels and hostels in every area as safe houses, for the time being, they should also declare police officers as protection officers so that they can do the work which is needed in such cases, the government can also declare lawyers as protection officers so that they can file Domestic Incident Report (DIR) without waiting for protection officers.

Including Crisis Centers and Counseling Centre in ‘Essential Services’

Including crisis centers and counseling centers in essential services will ensure that the aid is provided to the survivors in an effective and timely manner. Providing ID cards and transportation facilities to these centers will reduce the problem of reaching to the survivor and help them. Providing proper first aid and clinical check-up is also necessary. Ensuring access to reproductive and contraceptive care should also be kept in mind when all the centers would be set up.

Conclusion

The patriarchal setup of India is so bad that even in times like these where the whole world is facing the virus and millions are fighting for life and death, women are tackling both the shadow pandemic and the global pandemic. The domestic violence where the women amount to 70% of victims shows us how badly the situation has deteriorated. Therefore it is upon the government to form such strategies that can be effective in the long run as well as help now. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we are shown of a system a health care system that does not cater to mental health repercussions and does not integrate domestic violence into the public health preparedness and emergency response. These topics are in dire need of attention and hence it must be kept in mind that until there is strong political footing and messaging and some policy changes the women will suffer in silence and will always remain in the clutches of this shadow pandemic.