IJSP is an International, Peer Reviewed/ Refereed, Indexed, Open Access, Online Journal of Arts and Social Sciences. IJSP invites original research paper and book review submissions for publication in Volume 12, Issue 01, scheduled for release on March 31, 2025. Last Date of the Submission is 28 February

The Silent Pandemic Threatening the World in COVID-19 Times

Arundhati Bhattacharya

Affiliations:

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Burdwan, West Bengal, INDIA

Download

Policies of governments are usually political. But, they are presented in a manner that has the mask of neutrality. The space within four walls is the critical locality of violence against women. Engendering the State is not a simple matter. It has complex undertones. Some voices are heard while others are ignored or silenced. Data can be partially ignored or manipulated and can have multiple interpretations. There may be differences between the Global North and the Global South in responding to domestic violence (Mangala Subramaniam, Preethi Krishnan and Christopher Bunka 2014). But, whatever the differences, the facts are that many women around the world are facing violence in their homes. The culprits may be their near and dear ones.

Keywords:
Domestic Violence, Women, Government, Response

Agarwal, Ayushi. “Domestic Violence in the Lockdown Has Been Aided by Govt Apathy.” The Wire. 25 May 2020. https://thewire.in/women/lockdown-domestic-violence-government (accessed August 7, 2020).
Anya Prusa, Beatriz García Nice & Olivia Soledad. “Pandemic of Violence: Protecting Women during COVID-19.” Wilson Center. 15 May 2020. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/pandemic-violence-protecting-women-during-covid-19 (accessed August 7, 2020).
Bhattacharyya, Rinki. Behind Closed Doors: Domestic Violence in India. New Delhi: Sage, 2004.
Bruna Pereira, Macarena Aguilar. “Black Brazilian women take bold action against gender-based violence.” Open Democracy. 11 May 2020. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/black-brazilian-women-take-bold-action-against-gender-based-violence/ (accessed August 7, 2020).
“'Calamitous': domestic violence set to soar by 20% during global lockdown.” The Guardian. 28 April 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/28/calamitous-domestic-violence-set-to-soar-by-20-during-global-lockdown-coronavirus (accessed August 3, 2020).
Communications, Department of Global. “UN supporting ‘trapped’ domestic violence victims during COVID-19 pandemic.” United Nations. 12 June 2020. https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/un-supporting-%E2%80%98trapped%E2%80%99-domestic-violence-victims-during-covid-19-pandemic (accessed August 3, 2020).
“Coronavirus lockdown | Surge in domestic violence, says WHO.” The Hindu. 7 May 2020. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/coronavirus-lockdown-surge-in-domestic-violence-says-who/article31529111.ece (accessed August 3, 2020).
“Coronavirus lockdown: Odisha police launches initiative to address domestic violence.” Deccan Herald. 18 April 2020. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/coronavirus-lockdown-odisha-police-launches-initiative-to-address-domestic-violence-826857.html (accessed August 7, 2020).
“Coronavirus: Domestic violence 'increases globally during lockdown'.” BBC. 12 June 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-53014211/coronavirus-domestic-violence-increases-globally-during-lockdown (accessed August 3, 2020).
“COVID-19 and violence against women- What the Health Sector/System Can Do.” World Health Organization. 7 April 2020. WHO/SRH-20.04 (accessed August 2, 2020).
“COVID-19 lockdown increases domestic violence in Bangladesh.” DW. 15 April 2020. https://www.dw.com/en/covid-19-lockdown-increases-domestic-violence-in-bangladesh/a-53411507 (accessed August 6, 2020).
“COVID-19, Domestic Abuse and Violence: Where Do Indian Women.” EPW Engage. 2020. https://www.epw.in/engage/article/ (accessed August 2, 2020).
“COVID-19, Domestic Abuse and Violence: Where Do Indian Women Stand?” EPW Engage. 3 May 2020. https://www.epw.in/engage/article/ (accessed August 7, 2020).
D. Schneider, K. Harknett, S. McLanahan. “Intimate Partner Violence in the Great Recession.” Demography, 2016: 471-505.
Damania, Aviva Parvez. “Lockdown and Rise in Domestic Violence: How to Tackle Situation if Locked with an Abuser.” Indian Express. 17 May 2020. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/lockdown-rise-of-domestic-violence-how-to-tackle-situation-if-locked-with-abuser-national-commission-for-women-6406268/ (accessed August 7, 2020).
“Domestic Violence Increases 431% in Brazil Amid Lockdown.” Tele Sur English. 20 April 2020. https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Domestic-Violence-Drastically-Increase-in-Brazil-Amid-Lockdown---20200420-0019.html (accessed August 7, 2020).
Emil Filtenborg, Stefan Weichert . “'He strangled me in front of my child'. Quarantine compounds Ukraine's domestic violence problem.” Euro News. 8 May 2020. https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/03/he-strangled-me-in-front-of-my-child-quarantine-compounds-ukraine-s-domestic-violence-pro (accessed August 5, 2020).
Kamdar, Bansari. “For These South Asian Women In The US, Lockdown Has Led To Increased Domestic Violence.” Huffington Post. 8 May 2020. https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/coronavirus-lockdown-domestic-violence-south-asian-women_in_5eb3f5bfc5b652c56473766b (accessed August 4, 2020).
Lisieux E. de Borba Telles,Alexandre M. Valença,Alcina J.S. Barros,Antônio Geraldo da Silva. “Domestic violence in the COVID-19 pandemic: a forensic psychiatric perspective.” Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 2020: 1-2.
“Lockdowns around the world bring rise in domestic violence.” The Guardian. 28 March 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/28/lockdowns-world-rise-domestic-violence (accessed August 3, 2020).
“Lockdowns around the world bring rise in domestic violence.” The Guardian. 28 March 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/28/lockdowns-world-rise-domestic-violence (accessed August 6, 2020).
Mangala Subramaniam, Preethi Krishnan and Christopher Bunka. “Women's Movement Groups in State Policy Formulation: Addressing Violence AgainstWomen in India.” Indian Anthropologist, 2014: 37-52.
Moira Donovan, Sara Miller Llana. “As Lockdown Lingers, A Rural Reckoning with Domestic Violence.” The Christian Science Monitor. 15 June 2020. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2020/0615/As-lockdown-lingers-a-rural-reckoning-with-domestic-violence (accessed August 3, 2020).
Nandan, Ayushree. “Is domestic violence the next pandemic in India?” The Times of India. 21 May 2020. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/is-domestic-violence-the-next-pandemic-in-india/ (accessed August 2, 2020).
“NCW launches WhatsApp number to report domestic violence during COVID-19 lockdown.” The Economic Times. 10 April 2020. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ncw-launches-whatsapp-number-to-report-domestic-violence-during-covid-19-lockdown/articleshow/75082848.cms (accessed August 7, 2020).
Nzwili, Fredrick. “African church leaders work to curb domestic abuse during lockdown.” Catholic News Service. 19 May 2020. https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2020/african-church-leaders-work-to-curb-domestic-abuse-during-lockdown.cfm (accessed August 6, 2020).
Rezaeian, Mohsen. “The association between natural disasters and violence: A systematic review of the literature and a call for more epidemiological studies.” Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. December 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3908534/ (accessed August 2, 2020).
S. Gearhart, M.P. Patron, T. A. Hammond, D.W. Goldberg, A.Klein,J.A.Horney . “The Impact of Natural Disasters on Domestic Violence: An Analysis of Reports of Simple Assault in Florida (1999–2007).” Violence and Gender, 2018: 87-92.
Taub, Amanda. “A New Covid-19 Crisis: Domestic Abuse Rises Worldwide.” The New York Times. 6 April 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-violence.html (accessed August 3, 2020).
Thompson, Linda A. “With the world in lockdown, for some, being at home is as dangerous as being outside.” Equal Times. 22 May 2020. https://www.equaltimes.org/with-the-world-in-lockdown-for?lang=en#.XywN9CgzbIU (accessed August 6, 2020).
Tih, Felix. “'African Women Disproportionately Affected by Lockdown'.” Anadolu Agency. 18 June 2020. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-women-disproportionately-affected-by-lockdown/1881757 (accessed August 3, 2020).
Unseen, Unheard: Gender-based Violence in Disasters Global Study. Geneva: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2015.
Vignesh Radhakrishnan,Sumant Sen, Naresh Singaravelu. “Data | Domestic violence complaints at a 10-year high during COVID-19 lockdown.” The Hindu. 22 June 2020. https://www.thehindu.com/data/data-domestic-violence-complaints-at-a-10-year-high-during-covid-19-lockdown/article31885001.ece (accessed August 7, 2020).
Vijayalakshmi, Akshaya. “Violence No More: India’s COVID-19 opportunity for anti-domestic violence campaigns.” WARC. 9 June 2020. https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/violence-no-more-indias-covid-19-opportunity-for-anti-domestic-violence-campaigns/3641 (accessed August 3, 2020).
Violence Prevention The Evidence-Changing Cultural and Social Norms that Supprot Violence. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2009.
“Violence, Injuries and Disability.” World Halth Organization. 2020. http://www.emro.who.int/violence-injuries-disabilities/violence-news/levels-of-domestic-violence-increase-as-covid-19-pandemic-escalates.html (accessed August 2, 2020).
Weiner, Jade. “COVID-19 and Domestic Violence in South Africa.” Oxford Human Rights Hub. 26 April 2020. https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/covid-19-and-domestic-violence-in-south-africa/ (accessed August 3, 2020).
“WHO 'Deeply Troubled' by Spike in Domestic Violence in Locked Down Europe .” Euro News. 5 May 2020. https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/07/who-deeply-troubled-by-spike-in-domestic-violence-in-locked-down-europe (accessed August 5, 2020).