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Domestic violence is a crime and it occurs throughout the world, in all communities, age and sex. When someone who is personally close to you makes you feel unsafe or helpless, chances for domestic violence occurs. People or children who face domestic violence, undergo a lot of serious negative effects.
Reports say that 33% of women and 25% of men undergo unlawful personal violence by their partners or family members in their entire life. However, when they are forced to stay home with the wrong doers, there is an increased risk of domestic abuse during any crisis period like, natural disasters and pandemic.
Domestic violence can be in any form like:
- physical abuse, where the offender thrashes things, or hurts their partner or family members or pet.
- Abusers harm their partner or family member emotionally or psychologically by humiliating them or blaming them for everything.
- Social abuse, where the victim is controlled by the abuser on where you can go and whom you can see.
- Financial abuse means the abuser doesn’t provide the needed financial support to the victim.
- Verbal abuse means, the offender, yells at the victim with abusive words.
- Sexual harassment
Whatever be the form of domestic violence, it is as painful as physical attacks. And the victims face the negative effects like, fear, depression, anger, shame and some even give a thought for suicide.
Domestic violence has a greater negative impact on children. For children the side-effects may be like, guilty feeling, low self-respect, avoiding friends, hurting themselves etc. Victims also get addicted to drugs to get relieved from these psychological and mental pain.
Spiking Of Domestic Violence Worldwide After Covid-19
Many countries are reporting that there is a shockingly sharp increase in household violence amid corona pandemic. In China, the domestic violence cases have increased three times when compared to last year because of the compulsory lockdown.
In France, though the calls to the national helpline had dropped in the beginning, in a few weeks it went up by one third. There are also SMS sending facilities and drop-in facilities in shopping centers to help the victims reach out for help.
In Spain, the helpline received 18% more calls compared to last month. The e-mail and WhatsApp services have increased by more than 200%.
In the United Kingdom there has been an increase of 700% in calls to its helpline recorded in a single day. France, Argentina, Cyprus, and Singapore, for example, have recorded at least 25% more calls of domestic violence in the past month.
Seattle and San Antonio, Texas have reported an increase of 21% and there is a 33% increase in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Domestic Violence Amid Covid-19
Coronavirus spreads easily in a crowded place killing tens of thousands of people across the world, governments are announcing lock down period and staying home is advised to anxious public to save lives and reduce the spread of this illness.
Staying home is not safe for everyone. It would be helpful for victims of domestic violence, if they are offered a safe place by the government during the lockdown period. The French government, for example, is providing hotel rooms for sheltering the victims.
Throughout the world, violence against women is a serious disaster and it spikes up when there is a need for staying at home with their partner or family members. Victims who are afraid of facing the negative side of coronavirus, are forced to lead their relationship with the offender with a combination of fearing the abuser as well as the coronavirus.
In situations like the coronavirus crisis, victims also fear catching the disease if they come out from home complaining or seek medical help in case they are bruised in domestic violence.
The financial stress due to loss of job, and the other uncertainties caused by this epidemic makes the abuser unstable and unpredictable. They tend to use the lockdown as their license to harm their partner, children and other family members. The victim also fears losing the job and it will be hard to leave home since they are dependent on the abuser.
When there are uncertainties towards what will happen next, there is an increased stress and anxiety. People who don’t have the ability to control their feelings, take violence to vent their emotional state. Those who already abuse their partners or family members are going to the extreme level of violence during periods of disaster.
Victims say that their abusers are taking the chance of coronavirus to make them stay at home and separate them from their friends and family members who can help them. Some abusers are not providing financial help to those who have lost their job. Some threaten their victim that they will force them to leave the house.
Abusers also refuse food, medical assistance and phone calls to their victims in order to keep them in control.
If you feel disrespected, or you couldn’t be yourself or you don’t have enough courage to disagree or ask for what you want, you are one of the victims of domestic violence. If you are a victim, it is not at all your fault and the abuser is responsible for breaking the law.
During this lockdown period, as a victim if you have fear of being discovered by the abuser and don’t get the chance to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, you can choose to chat, e-mail, or reach them through their Facebook page.
In some countries, the victims of domestic violence are advised to reach their nearest pharmacy and ask for Mask-19 to save their life from abusers. The pharmacist will note down the name, address and phone number of the victim and call the emergency helpline. The victim may go back home or wait for the rescuers to come.
Instead of choosing to stay with the abuser fearing that they will implement the threats like, physical attacks, stopping of financial help, food, shelter etc., you can even choose to escape from the abuser and get proper assistance from trusted sources.
For more information on domestic violence and how to get rid of that, please visit e-counseling.com