Vogue Warriors: Meet the women’s rights activist who is helping victims of domestic violence survive the lockdown

Before Cyclone Amphan ravaged West Bengal, over 800 women had reached out to women's rights organisation, Swayam (over phone and email) for help during the lockdown. “There has been a 60 to 80 per cent increase in the number of complaints that we get in a month since the lockdown,” says Anuradha Kapoor, founder of Swayam, a non-governmental organisation in Kolkata working towards ending violence against women and girls, “There has been an increase in physical violence as well as the severity of physical violence.”

Since the lockdown, women victims of domestic abuse have been stuck at home with their abusers, with no means to escape the violence. Physical distancing has also meant that they have not been able to reach out to neighbours or friends for help and that their only support has been talking to someone over the phone. Immediately after the lockdown, Swayam set up six helplines (including one specialised helpline to access trained mental health counsellors) and later added three more helplines. “We had to change our strategy completely and do everything on the phone because we can’t move out now. We have been counselling women and their children, too, in some cases,” adds Kapoor.

But the cyclone further imperilled the women victims of domestic violence. Wreaking power grids and mobile phone towers in several parts of the state, it snapped all communication that the victims had with the outside world, thus placing them in an even more vulnerable position. “We have barely been able to reach out to a handful of women after the cyclone,” adds Kapoor.

In a first, 25 years since the organisation was set up, Swayam is now distributing food rations to help women affected by the cyclone. So far, 959 ration kits have been distributed and Swayam will continue to supply ration if the need arises. “A lot of women have lost their homes and jobs because of COVID-19. Their abusers have taken away their ration cards and some of them have nothing left after the cyclone,” says 57-year-old Kapoor, one of the key stakeholders who advocated for the introduction of The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) in 2005.

Acting upon law

The PWDVA sounds better on paper but has left several issues unaddressed, says Kapoor. “While it’s definitely better than not having a law, it is not enough because one needs to fund these laws to ensure that there are more services, helplines and shelter homes for women,” explains Kapoor. The condition of shelter homes for victims of domestic violence in West Bengal is deplorable. “Women just don’t want to stay there because their quality is so poor,” she adds.

Currently, most shelters are not accepting new inmates due to the fear of coronavirus. There was a case recently where a victim had to be rescued from her home by the police and had no choice but to stay at her friend’s residence since no shelter could offer room. “We have also had a case of a woman walking for 10 km to reach her parents’ home and putting herself at risk,” adds Kapoor. The solution, suggests Kapoor, during a pandemic, would be for the abuser to be placed in a quarantine centre so that women and their children could remain safe at home.

The extent of violence during the lockdown has exacerbated the situation to such a degree that many women wanted to leave home, but were unable to do so due to lack of transport and shelter. “We are also seeing an increase in natal family violence on young unmarried women, who have returned home from other cities, as well as on women who have faced violence and returned to their parental home,” adds Kapoor. Between March 23 and April 16, the National Commission for Women’s (NCW) Complaint and Investigation Cell registered 587 domestic violence complaints, a distressing surge from the 396 complaints registered between February 27 and March 22.

Need of the hour

For immediate relief, existing helpline numbers in all states such as 181, 103 and 1091 should be fully functional and responsive to women’s calls. In states that do not have domestic violence helplines for women, any other Government helpline number or the police helpline (100) should be activated to help victims. “Since the police are overworked during the COVID crisis, protection officers across the country could be declared as emergency service workers to support the police and help women access shelter homes, medical assistance, transport and ration,” suggests Kapoor.

“All advisories issued on COVID-19 must include Government helpline numbers and other measures undertaken by the Government to address violence against women, and domestic violence in particular, during the lockdown”, suggests Kapoor. A common national helpline number for women, similar to Childline 1098, which is backed up in each city, town, district, a village with holistic support services for women, must be instituted at the earliest, says the women’s rights activist.

“The NCW (National Commission for Women) gave out a WhatsApp number during the lockdown but it was not accessible as most women don’t have access to mobile data,” says Kapoor, who is also a member of the Civil Society Advisory Group for United Nations Women’s Multi-Country Office for India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. According to her, the true extent of domestic violence will only be visible after the lockdown is lifted and women can step out. “We are sure to see a huge spike in numbers after transport opens up,” says Kapoor.

Settling the equation

Before she set up Swayam, Kapoor, a Lady Shri Ram college alumni, volunteered at a shelter home for women in Kolkata in the early 90s, helping women develop livelihood skills and raising funds for them. Her interaction with the women gave her a deeper understanding of women’s lived realities, particularly in the context of the violence they faced. “I saw that women, no matter which class, caste, religion, educational or economic background they came from, were not being treated equally nor fairly—they were facing violence and discrimination only because they were women and I wanted to do something to change this,” says Kapoor, who worked in the fields of publishing, where she met her husband before she founded Swayam.

Her organisation works with families, students, police, lawyers and policymakers. “The prevention of domestic violence has to start early, which is why we talk to boys and girls within the family. We also conduct training with police and lawyers because everyone has the same sensibilities, we realised, and patriarchy is a big part of it. But I have a lot of faith in our younger generation to bring about positive change,” adds Kapoor.

Swayam can be reached at 09830079448 and 09830747030 or swayam@swayam.info

Vogue Warriors shines the spotlight on the women at the medical frontlines and essential services—doctors, nurses, scientists, innovators—alongside behind-the-scene heroes working tirelessly to help us through the ongoing pandemic.

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