Hyderabad: As the coronavirus continues to creep across the globe, the number of serious offences has come down drastically across the world during the ongoing lockdown. But the worrying sign is that offences like domestic violence and online fraud are likely to increase.
The side effect of staying at home is that there is more of a chance for domestic and family violence to occur.
About 40% of child sexual assault occurred in the home in 2016 and child physical abuse is most likely by fathers and mothers.
Women and children who live with domestic violence have no escape from their abusers during quarantine, and from Brazil to Germany, Italy to China to subcontinents activists and survivors say they are already seeing an alarming rise in abuse.
The increased threat to women and children was a predictable side effect of the coronavirus lockdowns, said activists.
Increased abuse is a pattern repeated in many emergencies, whether conflict, economic crisis or during disease outbreaks, although the quarantine rules pose a particularly grave challenge.
"It happens in all crisis situations," said Marcy Hersh, a senior manager for humanitarian advocacy at Women Deliver. "What we worry about is just as rates of violence are on the rise, the accessibility of services and the ability of women to access these services will decrease. This is a real challenge."
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In many countries, there have been calls for legal or policy changes to reflect the increased risk to women and children in quarantine.
Police in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, which has one of the worst track records on violence against women in the country, have launched a new domestic violence helpline as cases surge.
In the workplace, harassment and thefts will decrease simply because there is nobody there anymore. But remote working might increase online harassment between co-workers simply because there is far more online interaction.
However, there is some evidence, since chat technologies can capture and document online harassment, that perpetrators can be held responsible.
Amid lockdown, closed public parks and gardens have also seen a reduction in disorder and antisocial behaviour.
The coronavirus lockdowns are producing many unanticipated side effects, including upon crime. And malicious coronavirus coughing is now a crime. There have been reports of people targeting members of the public, police and medical staffs.
While the pandemic has heightened risks for victims around the world, experts say maintaining the bonds of community — from a six-foot distance — remains vital for those in crisis.
At this point in time when governments and organizations struggle to keep up, educating friends and neighbours to help fill the void is crucial.
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