Domestic violence in corona pandemic: Where we are and what needs to be done

 

To protect people from devastating effect of Corona -people are in lockdown at home. Let's see the effect of this lockdown to certain vulnerable groups of women and  girls.

Case 1: Total seven (7) members of a family including both grandparents and three children. Whole day wife remaining busy for household activities, at night she was naturally tired and exhausted and dares to show some reluctance to respond to husband's demand. At the beginning, he started shouting using abusive words then slapping, cutting hairs and finally put her not only out of bed but out of the house for whole night and she was threatened to put hot knife or cut portion of her internal genitalia (genital mutilation) if not agree for the subsequent nights (marital rape). She remained there outside gate crying whole night but without uttering a single word or shout.  
Case 2 :  Husband so called highly educated in medical profession with three sons and one maid in home. He never used any contraceptives neither allow her to use so this was her early days of 4th pregnancy. He terminated her pregnancy at home, while she was in severe agonizing pain and bleeding, he started abusing the maid by touching her private parts. The lady tried to protest in this dire situation, he then declared "look how we do or go back to your parent's house ".

Case 3: After home delivery of young primi patient placenta was retained for long 2-3 hours, instead of taking her to the hospital; they (husband and mother in law) tried to bring out placenta by pulling through umbilical cord. Placenta was morbidly adherent, she started bleeding, then they poured hot water and finally hot aluminium pot with boiled water over her abdomen. She died because of thermal burn, excess bleeding and post stress traumatic and neurogenic shock (PSTS).

These are some extreme forms of domestic violence (DV) but other types (minor or major) are always there out of focus. These are sombre picture or social malady in both developed and developing countries  where persecution, ill treatment, harassment, torture is rampant towards a spouse whose father is unable to provide substantial dowry. Majority suffered serious morbidity (mostly society unaware of it) some suffers mortality only then society come to know about graveness/magnitude of the problem.

According to WHO, 1 out of 3 women in the world experience physical or sexual violence making  female victims of domestic violence (FVDV) "the most widespread but least reported human rights abuse". It is an age-old topic and occurs indiscriminately amongst whole geographical population regardless of age,race,religion and social (economic and educational) status. WHO defines it as intimate Partner Violence " behaviour of an intimately relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse or controlling behaviour".

So, domestic violence against women and girls continue to be a global phenomenon that kills, insults, tortures or maims them- physically, psychologically, sexually and economically. It is one of the pervasive of human right violation, denying women and girls equality, security, dignity, self-worth and their right to enjoy the fundamental freedoms. The global dimensions of this are alarming as it occurs in all cultures, people of all races, ethnicities, religions, all ages and all classes can be perpetrators of this violence. With Covid-19, the risk of abuse (both child related and women) increased drastically as people are spending more time within the confines of home living under same roof or sometimes sharing same bed.

 "The family" should be equated with sanctuary- a place where individual is supposed to seek love, safety, security, and shelter but sometimes it becomes the place that imperils love and breeds some of the drastic forms of violence perpetuated against girls and women as described in above Three (3) cases but these are only tips of iceburg. These perpetrators are males who are or who have been in positions of trust, intimacy and power like husband, father, father in-laws, step father, brother, son or other relatives. The percentage of women who are physically assaulted by an intimate partner: Canada (29%), Egypt ( 34%), USA (22%) and in some countries it varies from up to 50-70% specially now more common in these days of Lockdown /Movement  Control Order (MCO).

Violence against women is most of the time a vicious cycle of abuse that manifest in many forms throughout their lives i.e. from pre-birth (Sex related induced abortions- infancy and childhood (enforced malnutrition, female genital mutilation, incest, forced child prostitution, pornography) - adolescence and adulthood (forced sex, marital rape, dowry related abuse and death)- elderly (withdrawal of all facilities and abuses).

According to Deputy Director of United Nations "the Corona Pandemic " affects the whole world's population in Two distinctive major dangerous effects : soaring the domestic violence incidences and mental health crisis- leading stress, frustration and anger which ultimately victimizes again the children and women- the weaker part of the community - who have nowhere to hide or escape and have little or zero access to information.

Even if someone dares to go- hospitals, medical professionals and law enforcement agencies are busy with corona detection and isolation, so they are unable or unwilling to help victims of domestic or sexual violence. In the USA, cases have been reported where perpetrators have threatened to throw 'disobedient wives' out on the street so that they can catch Coronavirus and suffer/die. The home quarantine is actually a double-edged sword- it increases violence exponentially but it is also the only way to limit the extensive spread of corona.

How to Solve ? How to protect the potential victims?

The administrative people of USA & Canada have actively acknowledged the increased risk of DV during this time of MCO and are making continuous announcements about helplines and shelter homes- this is an example to follow .i) the police force can be more responsive to all areas of the country not only confining to only main cities. ii) Newspapers and electronic media can play a pivotal role to raise awareness and sensitise people about its destructive effects by sharing info as how to contact police and one-stop crisis centre. iii. Broadcasting and social media can put info on scrolls. iv. Telecommunication companies can send info by SMS to its users. v. Imam of masjids, other religious leaders, institution heads can raise awareness using mikes.

As incidents of DV is on the rise it has quickly become a social Pandemic. If left unchecked or uncontrolled or unpunished or mishandled it will contribute to the inevitable decline of the society as a whole. Corona devastating effects people observe and aware daily through all available sources but magnitude of this DV is mostly unseen, unrecorded, unreported. So, all sensible and reasonable persons should come forward to abate this DV.


The writer is a professor at Widad University College, Malaysia.