Violence against women is commonplace in any emergency, including epidemics. Depression, disruption of communication and defense, increased economic hardship and reduced access to services may exacerbate the risk of abused women. The Eastern Mediterranean region has the second highest rate of violence against women (37%) worldwide. This is due to structural systems that maintain gender inequality at different levels of society, coupled with political problems and economic instability in the Region.
The region also has more humanitarian assistance than any other part of the world, with a large number of refugees and internally displaced persons. In the case of COVID-19, solitude, limited mobility and ways to stay home to contain the spread of the virus infection has a huge impact especially on women. The chances of women and their children being exposed to violence increase dramatically, as family members spend more time together and family stress intensifies, and the risk increases when families also have to deal with possible economic losses or jobs.
Preliminary information from two countries in the Region reports an increase of 50-60% of cases, based on survivors’ access to services from women’s organizations. Survivor mental health services are plagued by an urgent need to combat the effects of the epidemic. This can have dire consequences, especially in countries with limited health services and financial services, as well as in humanitarian arrangements.
Special consideration should be given to high-risk groups, including women living with disabilities, who are at high risk of domestic violence and who may face additional barriers to accessing the services they need, such as social assistance and home care, due to curfews and social isolation. or movement restrictions.Discussed women and refugees, as well as women living in conflict-affected areas are also particularly at risk due to overcrowding, close proximity to living conditions; poor water, sanitation and hygiene; and limited health, social and safety services.
A long-term study conducted by BMC Women’s Health which analyzes trends and studies on domestic violence against Indian women from 2001 to 2018 has revealed that India needs to focus on efforts to reduce gaps in administrative data involving limited reporting and virtual data over time. Between 2001 and 2018, the majority of domestic violence cases were classified as ‘violent by the husband or his relatives’, with the reported crime rate increasing by 53% over 18 years.
The study also revealed that the rate of abuse of husbands or relatives was 28.3 per 1 000 000 women in 2018, an increase of 53% since 2001. 1.4 percent, respectively, in 2018. The data analyzed by researchers were published in the annual reports of the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) under four headings of domestic violence – husband or relative violence, dowry death, suicide prevention, and women’s protection against domestic violence.
Of the 1,548,548 cases reported on the brutality of the husband or relatives in India from 2001 to 2018, 554,481 (35.8%) between 2014 and 2018. , 00,000 women aged 15-49, which marks a significant increase of 53% during this period. The wide difference was seen in the number of atrocities reported by her husband or relatives in 2018 at the state level.
Delhi, Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir recorded a more than 160% increase in the reported crime rate between 2001-2018. to 2018. However, it is important to note that only the provinces recorded changes in reported rates and the almost constant level of domestic violence in many provinces over time, ”said Prof RakhiDandona, lead researcher and professor. to the Public Health Foundation of India. The study also stressed that the unavailability of anonymous individual level data of cases registered in the public domain reduces the examination of patterns of domestic violence that may allow for evidence-based policy action.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 5 aims to end all forms of violence against women and girls and two indicators of this progress are the levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner violence. The WHO estimates that 26% of IPV cases for women who have been married / have 15-year-old partners, this is usually found in 35% in southern Asia.
“Data and information systems need to be strengthened to have a more comprehensive policy to address the problem of domestic violence in India. Studies from nearly 20 years of domestic violence on Indian women indicate that the change in the reported rate of domestic violence is only apparent in some provinces while others have a relatively stable rate. This emphasizes the importance of understanding the slow reporting of cases against women and the police, thus, increasing the resilience of available data. Further suspensions of data recording and the expansion of data lists by the police will strengthen the effective use of this data to inform policy and prioritize prevention strategies to reduce cases of domestic violence against women in India, “said DrDandona.
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