We have a turbulent relationship. When my husband gets angry sometimes, he slaps me! When we have any disagreement, we verbally abuse each other!
Have you heard these statements before? These are examples of domestic violence or abuse that take place between spouses in the household. Any type of violence is bad but domestic violence has become a difficult situation especially during the lockdown time where people have to stay confined to their houses. WHO in its reports stated that domestic violence cases have risen all around the world.
What Is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence includes physical violence- slapping, bruising, marital rape, and so on. It can include mental abuse like gaslighting where emotional manipulation and abuse are done. Verbal violence also includes constant bickering that can lead to verbal abuse and attempt to bring each other down. Finally, it also includes paedophilia where children are abused by making them view uncensored content or sexually exploiting them. According to the UN Women Database, 288% of women suffer from domestic violence in India.
Domestic Violence And The Pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a worldwide lockdown has caused people to stay at home, a consequence of which has been increasing reports on domestic violence. People are closer and those who have been suffering from it are at risk of suffering more. During these times one should use online services to report such cases to the police.
Various helpline numbers are available for this. Be honest about it to your parents and loved ones, get in contact with women associations and NGOs and remember that it is not your fault if you suffer from domestic violence rather the victimizer is to be blamed for the violence he has inflicted upon you.
For more information, check out this video.
