Shortpedia Blog

India sees surge in domestic violence during COVID-19 lockdown

1. National Commission for Women has registered 587 domestic violence complaints between March 23 and April 16.

2. One in Six new complaints of domestic violence was made over a relaunched WhatsApp number.

3. The stress of confinement, financial constraints, and the lack of access to alcohol were exacerbating factors.

4. Many women facing abuse want to go to their mothers’ houses, but during the lockdown, they can only be sent to state-run shelter homes.

5. Most countries globally are seeing a surge in domestic violence. But in other parts of the world, mechanisms to protect women from being locked in with their abusers have evolved to take into account lockdowns and social distancing.