The city I live in has been on lockdown for the last 2 weeks and there has been a reported rise in domestic violence. Being an African city (Kampala) some of the channels available in the western world are not present. What would you suggest can be done to limit domestic violence in such situations?
COVID-19 and domestic violence
These articles can help to know the size of the problem and protective measures
Article An Increasing Risk of Family Violence during the Covid-19 Pa...
Olutayo, the issue of domestic violence has reportedly been on the increase since lockdown measures were introduced to curb the COVID-19 pandemic both in developed economies and developing ones like Uganda's. This is a sad occurrence and measures that might help include, but are not limited to, scaling up preventive mechanisms against violence, the legislation on domestic violence should be applied consistently and rigorously against all its perpetrators, increase support networks and reporting protocols for victims of domestic violence and encourage a national culture of tolerance and equality among genders. Hope these may help.
In Bangladesh, domestic violence against women is also increasing during lockdown and it is ended with divorce. But I think most of the service holder male and female are passing their time with mental health problem. When they go outside they can share their problems with friends and colleagues but in this situation they are almost facing household activities more and here there is a tradition that women will do all household work. Moreover, women feel tired and bored to do this, they need refreshment but husband is always busy with his tab, mobile etc. Peace & tolerance, respect, religion, trust, sharing and bonding, love and affection, Responsibilities these are the main factors to reduce domestic violence. So we should practice it in our life.
This requires attention from social services, both available and added ones. I have highlighted the importance of social services in my newest book titled "The City in Need", which I believe is often neglected during the early and mid stages of the outbreak events.
the Researchgate link is: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340663549_The_City_in_Need_Urban_Resilience_and_City_Management_in_Disruptive_Disease_Outbreak_Events
also available from Springer and Amazon.
Try to build a good family relationship and sharing more can be helpful. It's difficult to change behavior within this short period. Women's silent acceptance of domestic violence (DV) make them more vulnerable. Anxiety-depression, jobless status, monotonous life, time of exposure etc. make the frequency of DV more specially in Indian subcontinent under male dominant culture.
Muhammed Ashraful Alam It is very interesting how the dynamics are similar across the globe. Thanks for sharing.
I think it can be reduced with social awareness through every kind of media
What victims of domestic violence must remember is, to not blame themselves for what is happening to them. Violence is unacceptable and the perpetrator is 100 per cent responsible. Victims must not make excuses for the actions of the perpetrators, as there are none. Acceptance of such actions may lead to a vicious cycle of abuse.
* The option of reporting domestic abuse to the police is always available. However, if the victim does not intend on that course of action, they can create a safety plan for themselves, with a safe word to alert people they live with when faced with a threatening situation.
* It is advisable to keep a friend, family, neighbour or someone in proximity informed in case of escalating risk. It is also helpful to discuss this with trusted family member/s or friends and build perpetrator accountability. There are also a number of helplines for domestic violence and free online counselling websites that victims can use for relief.
We used the Arts through theatre to highlight and find resolutions to this troubling issue of domestic violence. This resource gives a description of the process and the outcomes:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-73472-5_4
Best,
Debra
I agree with the suggestions, in addition I believe open channels of communication, must time domestic violence is seen as taboo and a situation that must not be dealt with outside of the home, out of fear, embarrassment, low esteem etc. There these persons must be encouraged to report/share their situation so the required help can be given. Sad the lock downs have exacerbated this problem.
You have already a long list of suggestions here, but I would like to add some examples and literature that can be useful:
https://issafrica.org/research/southern-africa-report/lessons-from-community-based-initiatives-to-prevent-violence
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/communities/preventing-community-violence/
https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2007/taking-violence-against-women-africa
Kind regards,
Neus Lorenzo
@NewsNeus