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Tracking the Impact of Covid-19 on Domestic Violence in India
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, India went into what was one of the strictest lockdowns anywhere in the world on 25 March 2020, which was extended 4 times with the stringency of the lockdown revised with each iteration. The rollback of the lockdown restrictions began in June 2020, and the 5th iteration of this rollback is currently in effect. However, many states in India have imposed their own lockdowns and other restrictions on movement.
Domestic Violence, a term encompassing forms of violence against women, children and the elderly is one of the most common forms of violence with violence against women increasing during times of emergency – this pandemic is no different. Experts warned of a potential rise in domestic and intimate-partner-violence early into the pandemic, noting that extended periods of close proximity in confined spaces and increased stresses around income and food security create conditions that can fuel violence.
Reports from the media, civil society and governments paint an alarming picture of rising incidents of domestic violence around the world. In India, a country that has infamously ranked poorly in every global index measuring gender equality and safety of women and where one in three women have reported facing spousal violence at least once, the lockdown has further exacerbated pre-existing gendered risks and vulnerabilities. These gendered effects of the pandemic gained some attention and were belatedly included in the Indian government’s response to the pandemic but, the response has been scattered and inconsistent.
Structure of the Report
The structure of the Report is as enshrined below:
Increased Domestic Violence: This section reports on the rise of domestic violence during the lockdown with the help of data collected from various distress calls received on state set up helpline numbers during this period.
Access to Shelter: This section sheds light on the accessibility of shelters to survivors of domestic violence and how the same has been affected during the lockdown.
Access to Justice: This section highlights the various hurdles survivors of Domestic Violence face in accessing justice redressal mechanisms and how the situation has been affected in the aftermath of the lockdown.
Access to Reproductive (and other) Health Services: This section reports on the disruption in accessing various healthcare services, including maternal health services, access to abortion and contraceptives and, menstrual health services.
Innovative Responses to Domestic Violence during Covid-19: The lockdown also presented an opportunity for service providers to re-imagine traditional service delivery models and this section focuses on a few of these including the institutional quarantine for perpetrators of domestic violence, introduced by the Pune Zilla Parishad, among others.