Women and Domestic Violence During Covid-19 Pandemic in India

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the most ubiquitous disasters in the history of mankind. The ferocity of the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020–2021 with the increased rate of 4.12 lakh cases to the deaths of 3,971 people a day jolted the whole nation (The Hindu: 2021). The situation worsened when the nation moved to national lockdown during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. This national lockdown was imposed with the motive of security and safety of the citizens; however, it has raised other problems including Covid-19. The lockdown during Covid-19 has not only increased the economic burden on individuals but also impacted the lives of common people at large. However, within the Covid-19 pandemic population, it is women who worldwide suffer the most. Women are the most vulnerable section of society and hence profoundly pretentious by the pandemic. During the lockdown, cases of domestic violence increased around the world, and therefore the United Nations declared it the “shadow pandemic” of the coronavirus-19 pandemic. According to the United Nations report, One in three women worldwide experienced physical or sexual violence mostly by their intimate partners. And since the breakout of Covid-19, the data and reports have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, have intensified (UN: 2020). The present chapter will focus on domestic violence and its impact on women during Covid-19 pandemic. The sample size which was selected for the study was 15 in numbers; however, due to coronavirus pandemic, only five women responded which make possible a close involvement and a rigorous investigation by the researcher. The sample size was selected based on the random purposive sampling method. This chapter will be based on the primary data in the form of interviews and content analysis of the available secondary data. Access to counseling services online or offline was not available for survivors; no accommodation services were provided to the survivors; no financial assistance was provided to the survivors of domestic abuse during the pandemic; there was no sensitivity of police toward such victims; etc. Covid-19 pandemic was a global crisis and a test of the vulnerable. Crime against women and children increased during the pandemic. This needs the attention of all executives, the legislature, and the judiciary to pay immediate consideration to domestic violence during the pandemic.