KOLKATA: A woman living in a high profile highrise off Ballygunge Phanri filed an FIR at Ballygunge police station on May 7, alleging torture and abuse by her husband.
In another instance, a women’s rights organisation called the police and rescued a woman who was being physically abused by her husband and relocated her to a friend’s place.
Yet another woman has been forced to continue living with her tormentor because she cannot return to her parents’ house in Delhi due to the lockdown.
These three instances are among hundreds of complaints that women’s rights advocacy groups and police have received since the lockdown. According to Swayam, a women’s rights organization committed to ending violence against women and children, the number of complaints received over telephone has shot up by 60% since the lockdown.
“As soon as the lockdown happened, the calls at our centres went up dramatically. We believe the number of women who are suffering are much higher because only a fraction of women who face domestic violence can actually reach out for help. Fewer still can do so during this unprecedented lockdown scenario when they don’t have any respite from the tormetor and at times no opportunity to even make a call in private,” said Swayam founder Anuradha Kapoor.
Cases of domestic violence has always been an issue in India with over 8,000 women killed by family members annually. While they are classified as dowry deaths, there are more deaths that are classified as unnatural deaths. “Everyday domestic violence, both at parental home and marital home is a huge problem. Women are emotionally, sexually, physically and financially abused all year round. But this lockdown is the worst time they may have ever faced because they cannot get away from the abuse,” said Kakoli Bhattacharya, a women’s rights crusader.
Volunteers manning the helplines said they have received calls from both married and unmarried women. While husbands and in-laws were the perpetrators in the case of the former, in the latter, there were reports of violence by brothers against sisters and fathers against daughters. “Women could earlier run away or spend some time away from the violence. But the lockdown has robbed them of the opportunity,” Bhattacharya said.
NGO All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties and Social Justice had moved Delhi HC last month, claiming there were increasing number of domestic violence incidents since the lockdown. The court had thereafter directed the Centre to deliberate on measures to curb domestic violence during the lockdown.
In another instance, a women’s rights organisation called the police and rescued a woman who was being physically abused by her husband and relocated her to a friend’s place.
Yet another woman has been forced to continue living with her tormentor because she cannot return to her parents’ house in Delhi due to the lockdown.
These three instances are among hundreds of complaints that women’s rights advocacy groups and police have received since the lockdown. According to Swayam, a women’s rights organization committed to ending violence against women and children, the number of complaints received over telephone has shot up by 60% since the lockdown.
“As soon as the lockdown happened, the calls at our centres went up dramatically. We believe the number of women who are suffering are much higher because only a fraction of women who face domestic violence can actually reach out for help. Fewer still can do so during this unprecedented lockdown scenario when they don’t have any respite from the tormetor and at times no opportunity to even make a call in private,” said Swayam founder Anuradha Kapoor.
Cases of domestic violence has always been an issue in India with over 8,000 women killed by family members annually. While they are classified as dowry deaths, there are more deaths that are classified as unnatural deaths. “Everyday domestic violence, both at parental home and marital home is a huge problem. Women are emotionally, sexually, physically and financially abused all year round. But this lockdown is the worst time they may have ever faced because they cannot get away from the abuse,” said Kakoli Bhattacharya, a women’s rights crusader.
Volunteers manning the helplines said they have received calls from both married and unmarried women. While husbands and in-laws were the perpetrators in the case of the former, in the latter, there were reports of violence by brothers against sisters and fathers against daughters. “Women could earlier run away or spend some time away from the violence. But the lockdown has robbed them of the opportunity,” Bhattacharya said.
NGO All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties and Social Justice had moved Delhi HC last month, claiming there were increasing number of domestic violence incidents since the lockdown. The court had thereafter directed the Centre to deliberate on measures to curb domestic violence during the lockdown.
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