Trigger Warning: Outflux of Domestic Violence: India Lockdown 3.0

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The COVID-19 outbreak turned the world upside down, and India was no exception. The world’s biggest lockdown was announced by PM Narendra Modi on March 24, asking 1.3 billion people to cooperate and stay indoors. The only way to break the cycle of the virus was social distancing. As of today, the lockdown has been extended thrice, and India is currently in “lockdown 3.0”. While the country will face obvious economic and political challenges in the days to come, I’m more concerned about the ramifications brought upon by the recent changes in the previously strict lockdown. Liquor stores were reopened in some zones in India after forty days on May 4. Everything about social distancing and its importance was forgotten as people lined up for hours in close proximity to acquire as much alcohol as their pockets would permit. The chaotic scenes were not only astonishing, but deeply disappointing, because the risk of the virus increased yet again. 

Though, my biggest worry boils down to the increase in domestic violence and child abuse as a consequence of this action. The National Commission of Women (NCW) has released that as of now, there has been a 100% increase in domestic violence due to the lockdown. Women and children are locked in with abusers, and now they are locked in with drunk abusers. Domestic abuse has always been prevalent in our society, for instance, the official government statistics suggests that 1/3rd of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence, while every 1 in 10 woman has experienced sexual violence in India. Imagining the possibilities gives me goosebumps. The decision to open liquor stores during the lockdown has added fuel to the flames. While I agree this would ease out the financial pressure as suggested by the day 1 sales of Rs. 65 crore in Telangana, I wonder how the government overlooked the fact that this action ignites rapists and murderers in rural and urban slum areas which can’t be monitored.

The lockdown has been disproportionately difficult for the poor. With the problem of uncertainty looming over their livelihoods compounded by the scarcity of essential supplies, they are living a life a lot harder than what we could ever imagine. It is common in these households for women (more often than men) to be the main bread earner. While the women starve and work hard, men only want to spend that little money on alcohol, and impulsively beat women and their daughters as they realize the financial crunch they are in. These men can’t work from home (as some may be factory workers, or cleaners etc) like many others and therefore, have enough time in the day to stand in long queues to buy alcohol. The lack of access of basic necessities like fresh water and electricity due to their poor economic status heightens problems. Furthermore, the patriarchal nature of the society allows a man to release his insecurities by beating their wives without any ramifications. That being said, women all across the country face similar problems. What happens behind the closed doors is never spoken about, and rarely reported. Within the span of 1 month, NCW has only recorded 375 cases. I’m sure a lot more women have suffered who just don’t have the courage to speak up because of the societal pressure. The opening of liquor stores intermingled with the stress of being laid off increases the risk of domestic violence.

If you are living with an abuser, and you think there is no way out of this trap, please don’t give up. Don’t shut yourself because it’s not your fault. A 24/7 helpline has been established by the Delhi High Court for women in distress and fear under hotline 181. Furthermore, the National Commission for Women’s emergency has set a WhatsApp helpline number (7217735372) during the COVID-19 crisis.