Pandemic Shadows: Revisiting the Need of Women’s Rights against Violence in India
Shabih Fatima and Mohd Ayan
Law Student, 5th Year, Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Law Student, 5th Year, Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
ABSTRACT
Protection of women has always been a primary concern in the Indian society because of the large population, backwardness in the gender equity, low literacy rate, migration of people from villages to the cities, socio- economic factors, poor condition of legal aid and many other factors Even for industrialized countries around the world, the Covid-19 pandemic presented a difficulty in terms of women’s protection in the current pandemic age, particularly during the lockdown phase when it’s extremely difficult to walk out and call for help. This research paper aimsis to determine the situation of domestic violence against women duringCovid-19 pandemic, specifically in India. Reports from different Newspaper Resources as well as virtual media platforms from all over the world have been cited to present the case of the rise in domestic violence during the pandemic. Thereafter based on the close analysis of the data, the reasons of the same have been mentioned. Furthermore, its effect on the social as well as economic front has also been discussed briefly ending with a conclusion.
KEYWORDS
Protection of women, covid-19, legal aid, India, women’s protection
INTRODUCTION
The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women declares that “unequal power relations” leads to the violence against women in a society. Women’s violence is an all-too-common occurrence that is also mostly unnoticed. In terms of gender equity, the UNDP’s gender development index puts India 140th out of 156 nations. Gender equity and socioeconomic progress are inextricably intertwined. In addition to the aforementioned criteria, another important criterion for achieving gender equity would be to eliminate violence against women, particularly domestic violence, which is widespread in India but, unlike most other forms of violence against women, is rarely acknowledged as widespread and rarely treated as a crime. Indian society, on the other hand, renders domestic violence unnoticeable. Domestic abuse is one of the few issues that transcends all cultural, socioeconomic, educational, ethnic, and religious divides. This form of violence not only appears to be on the rise, even as women’s education rises, but it also exists among society’s elite. In an Indian survey of domestic violence against women, 94 percent of the instances had a family member as the perpetrator.[1] Domestic violence is unquestionably a human rights concern as well as a significant impediment to development. This fact was accepted in the Vienna Accord of 1994, the Beijing Declaration, and the Platform for Action (1995). The offence of Domestic Violence has found much more attention in the recent times.
The COVID19 pandemic is a potential threat to humanity through various means. The disease’s harmful effects have not just been restricted to death, but have also had significant sociopsychological ramifications. Almost everyone has suffered severe consequences as a result of the psychological impact of the Covid19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. Fears, worry, and despair have resulted in an alarming surge in bad mental health of the people. However, the pandemic’s impact on women has been considerably severe, and it’s worth looking into.
To slow the spread of Covid-19, countries around the world took measures such as nationwide lockdown, quarantines, online work, and school closures. Covid-19 has had a profound impact on families, relationships, and society, resulting in an economic crisis. Beyond the political, social and international cooperation, Covid-19 is putting societies to the test. The repercussions of increased domestic violence instances during the epidemic are one such substantial impact that has been felt to an alarming amount. Although with countries throughout the world enforcing lockdowns and movement restrictions, decreasing the infection rate of Covid-19, data suggests that “domestic abuse is acting like an opportunistic infection, flourishing in the conditions created by the pandemic”. All impacted countries’ lockdowns and other social isolation measures have caused women to be confined to their homes, despite the fact that they are victims of domestic violence, with minimal or no social support alternatives available. This led to the continuous growth of domestic violence throughout the Covid-19 pandemic which undoubtedly emerged as severe worldwide threat parallel to the threat of health. In the global South, particularly India, there has been an uptick in domestic violence.
According to research, one of the most common strategies employed by abusers to isolate victims from their support networks is social isolation. Domestic violence cases have increased dramatically now that physical seclusion is a government-sanctioned strategy. For example, the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the United States, as well as numerous other portals and government institutions, has reported a considerable increase in calls from victims of domestic violence.
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