Our houses may be a privilege to us in this lockdown, but it is a torturous lockup for those who lost their freedoms to the men in the house.
In the time of the Coronavirus pandemic, the world has rightly taken the yearning pause it needed. It has taken shelter in whatever defines it to be their homes. It might be a bungalow, a bothy, or a little house that barely suffices to provide shelter. Now, when we talk about shelter, we assume it to be a fully sufficient house that places all our requirements and meets them one by one. It is a privilege for one to be locked down in their homes. But the irony to this fact is that the lockdown has also emerged as a curse for some women.
In the 21st century, it is a shame to talk about how there has been a surge in domestic violence cases throughout the country. Staying away from their partners for a while was once an escape for the victims of violence. Now it has been taken away due to the lockdown and the victims are trapped with their abusers. The stats are such that since the lockdown, cases of domestic violence have doubled.
With men staying home, frustrated with their newly abrogated freedom to move around, women are on the constant receiving end of abuse. It is not just the wives who have to suffer. Because of the lockdown, the children are also forced to stay put in these confined places redeemed as their homes. And in many cases, become victims of abuse as well.
Pain sees no gender and that’s a well-established fact. Men and women, both, face violent acts all around the world.
We could fix a hundred loopholes in our system and still stumble upon the few that have not been given much attention. The highly responsible factors of these crimes perpetrated on women and men today are how poverty might strike even in stable houses and the built-up frustration that hasn’t found any way out of these men in the longest of time.
People may preach feminism and equality, but the hardest step will always be to eradicate the deeply rooted patriarchy. Why? Because it has given way to such inhuman crimes. We are so blinded with what we have learned throughout our lives without even noting the intensity of this. However, it is a completely different thing we could put our eyes on but for now, these crimes have to be stopped and the cries must be heard.
With scientists giving their blood, sweat, and tears to find the world a vaccine to the highly infectious COVID-19, I hope people also gain familiarity with how humanly women and men feel the same and attend to such issues as grievously as other problems as well. It is about time, we bring justice to the women who have kept quiet for so long. They have lost their voices to the inhuman creatures filled with malign. We must not lose hope and make way for every woman to be heard and given justice.
Here are a few helplines that could help the people facing domestic violence and are seeking help:
- The National Commission for Women has launched a Whatsapp number for the women seeking help in these stressful times: 7217735372
- Women Helpline Domestic Abuse: 181
- Women in Distress: 1091
- A state-wise list of helpline numbers has been given on this site.
- Naree, a platform for women also provides with helplines.
By Navya Joshi
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