A Broken Promise: The Unwarranted Rise of the “Shadow Pandemic”

Pirakasini Chandrasegar | February 12th, 2021

Trigger Warning: Violence, Abuse and Trauma

I understand that domestic abuse, and abuse in general, is never the easiest topic to discuss. However, it is an important conversation that we all must have, especially during such perverse times when institutions that promised to keep us safe will not take the necessary steps to fulfill that promise. The Women's rights movement started back in 1848, but yet in 2021, we are still facing challenges in treating women respectfully and equitably. Women continue to be subjected and vulnerable to various kinds of abuse. Describing it as a “shadow pandemic,” UN Women has recently recorded that 1 in 3 women are subjected to abuse by their families and significant others.(1) It is no surprise that the pandemic has caused significant changes to everyday life. Ordinary life as we knew it is now gone, and instead, a new lifestyle has taken its place. Life has never been easy, and it never will be, but the pandemic and its new lifestyle are holding many women and children captive within their own homes and at the mercy of their abusers. Before the pandemic, we all had our “separate lives” outside our home; we were able to leave and have some time to ourselves in a different atmosphere.(2) Whether it was school, work or a simple trip to the grocery store, we were able to get out, yet after lockdown took place, countries all over the world have seen a significant spike in the number of domestic abuse cases as people are no longer able to get out of the house, and instead, are held hostage by their abusers.

From a 67% increase in Argentina to a 30% increase in Cyprus, domestic abuse towards women during the pandemic has become a human rights crisis that more people should be aware of.(3) Just the other day, I was reading an article on The Diplomat, a highly reputed newspaper company, about a woman in India who was trapped in her own home begging for help as her alcoholic husband abused her in front of her children.(4) Furthermore, the woman’s “mother, father, stepmother, and siblings” also impose a physical harm to her as a result of tensions, anxiety, and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. As I read through various articles and studies, I noticed that a lot of them blame the pandemic, wherefore criticizing the subsidizing economy, hunger, poverty, and high unemployment rates as the reason why domestic abuse is on the rise.(5) Aggression and tensions caused by unrest and the pandemic, however, people failed to realize that abuse is abuse. There is absolutely no excuse or reason that can serve as adequate justification for one’s decision to hurt another human being. Yes, we are all anxious about this pandemic, maybe some of us are more scared than others, and yes, it depends on the context and your situation, but just because you are scared does not give you the right or serve as causation to hurt a woman. The pandemic has affected everyone, especially our impoverished community, but the pandemic cannot and should not affect one’s morality and sense of right and wrong.

India, in particular, was one of the first countries to go into lockdown upon the virus’ onset, and likewise, it was also one of the first countries to see a spike in the number of domestic abuse cases.(6) In many countries, like India, women are unable to seek help as health care costs are simply too expensive, and also because going to the hospital during such challenging times can possibly provoke transmitting or catching the infectious virus.(7) In addition, various articles claim that men engage in regular street fights, however, given the lockdown and buildup of anxiety, men end up abusing the women in the household.(8) In Canada, 82% of domestic violence victims state that assailants got more frequent with abuse upon the pandemic’s onset.(9) A CBC article censures that people have gone “from bad to worse” because the pandemic was the “tipping point” for abusers.(10) Once again, abuse is abuse, how can you attempt to use the pandemic and its restrictions as justification for one’s decision to hurt another individual?

Support during these times can be next to difficult to find or access, and that is exactly where we should improve. We don’t know how long this pandemic is going to last, but it is our responsibility to help those who do not have a voice and are constantly suffering. Organizations and the government should also start holding abusers accountable for their actions, instead of sympathizing and blaming their actions to be a result of the pandemic. More shelters for women to take refuge should become readily available. With no place to go, victims of abuse remain at the mercy of their abusers because they do not have the support or another place to escape to. I think governments around the world and non-profit organizations should make resources and support more available, especially during the pandemic, instead of saying that they must wait until “a vaccine is developed and administered,”(11) because women and children are dying rapidly, not because of the pandemic, but rather because they are vulnerable and subjected to traumatic physical abuse.

Before I end, I want everyone reading this article to think about every woman in your life and where you would be if they weren’t around. I think, no matter what situation you are in, we constantly fail to appreciate the women in our lives, whether it is your mother, grandmother, sister or aunt, amidst our hectic lives and especially during this pandemic, we completely forget to take a second and acknowledge their presence. They too have hectic lives, from working to taking care of their loved ones, but they never fail to be there for us, I think it is only fair if we do the same for them — in fact, it is long overdue.

Endnotes

1. UN Women. "COVID-19 and Violence Against Women And Girls: Addressing The Shadow Pandemic." , no. 17 (November 2020), 1-11.

2. Fersch, Patricia. "Domestic Violence During Covid-19: The Ugly Underside Of ‘Staying At Home With The Family’." Forbes. Accessed February 17, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/patriciafersch/2021/02/11/domestic-violence-during-covid-19-the-ugly-underside-of-staying-at-home-with-the-family/?sh=cad94ad6188e.

3. UN Women. "COVID-19 and Violence Against Women And Girls: Addressing The Shadow Pandemic." , no. 17 (November 2020), 1-11.

4. Lal, Neeta. "India’s ‘Shadow Pandemic’." The Diplomat – The Diplomat is a Current-affairs Magazine for the Asia-Pacific, with News and Analysis on Politics, Security, Business, Technology and Life Across the Region. Last modified April 23, 2020. https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/indias-shadow-pandemic/.

5. Deshpande, Ashwini. "In Locked Down India, Women Fight Coronavirus and Domestic Violence." Quartz India. Last modified April 16, 2020. https://qz.com/india/1838351/indias-coronavirus-lockdown-leads-to-more-violence-against-women/.

6. Deshpande, Ashwini. "In Locked Down India, Women Fight Coronavirus and Domestic Violence."

7. Deshpande, Ashwini. "In Locked Down India, Women Fight Coronavirus and Domestic Violence."

8. Deshpande, Ashwini. "In Locked Down India, Women Fight Coronavirus and Domestic Violence."

9. Dubinski, Kate, and Amanda Margison. "National Survey Finds Domestic Violence During Pandemic Was More Frequent and Severe." CBC. Last modified May 15, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/national-survey-domestic-violence-end-violence-now-anova-1.5698028.

10. Dubinski, Kate, and Amanda Margison. "National Survey Finds Domestic Violence During Pandemic Was More Frequent and Severe."

11. UN Women. "COVID-19 and Violence Against Women And Girls: Addressing The Shadow Pandemic." , no. 17 (November 2020), 1-11.