The status of Violence against woman and girls during lockdown of COVID-19

23 Apr 2020

It has been found that mostly domestic violence against women has taken place during lockdown. Though its 3 hotlines and 28 psychosocial counselors, Women Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC) has recorded 83 cases from 13 districts¹ since the start of the lockdown². Among these, there are 46 cases of domestic violence, 9 cases of social violence, 14 cases of rape, 2 cases of attempted rape, 1 case of murder or under investigation, 2 cases of sexual abuse, 6 cases of suicide and 2 cases of attempted murder.   

Husbands followed by neighbors are the mostly reported perpetrators of violence. Among 83 reported perpetrators, 37 are husbands, 17 are family members, 19 are neighbors, 2 are boyfriends, 1 is friend, 1 is landlord and in 6 cases, perpetrators are yet to be identified. Among cases of Rape, 10 cases have been committed by neighbors, 1 case by father, 1 case by family member, and perpetrator of 1 case is yet to be identified.

The global pandemic caused by COVID 19 has affected people of all caste, age, group, race and both developed and underdeveloped countries. Amid this pandemic, none has a choice but to stay at home. As the world is going through global pandemic situation, it is very usual that all attention has been focused on saving self and others from it. However, in absence of mechanism to appropriately address violence done against women and girls, the situation of their vulnerability towards both pandemic as well violence has taken place. To stop violence against women and support affected ones, some of the local levels have started operating case reporting mechanism and providing safe shelter service to affected women and girls. This is much appreciative initiative. However, it is required that all local level authorities resume gender sensitive and effective case reporting and provide required services to affected women and girls so as to create an enabling environment for them to easily report violence done against them.

The constitutional and other guaranteed rights of women cannot be denied even at the time of this pandemic. But the current status shows that women have been denied of such rights. The situation in most of the district is that pregnant women coming for child delivery are not attended, are not given quality services by hospitals. The hospitals should provide services regardless of the situations of pandemic but since it has not been the situation, many women have been deprived of health services.

Recommendations:

• continuing Nepal’s zero tolerance policy even at the time of pandemic, women cell of police and Judicial committees should provide necessary support to women and girls who wish to report cases of violence
• The mechanism established for violence affected population should continue providing need based safe shelter, counselling, health and legal support following the safety measures to avoid infection
• To immediately address the cases of violence against women and girls, establish a provision of  short-term safe shelters
• All hospitals should resume services for maternal and pregnant women
• To minimize the vulnerability of violence, there should be separate living spaces, separate toilets and bathrooms in all quarantines for women, girls and people of gender and sexual identities
• There should be special provision for pregnant women, women with small children and senior citizens in quarantines and their needs for nutritional diets and other needs should be considered while distributing relief
• At every local levels, there should be resuming of hot line with provisions of immediate complaint and  response, necessary support and referral for all women in violence or any difficulty

 

Lubharaj Neupane

Executive director

Released on: 21 April 2020

 

Footnote

¹15 from Dhanusha, 13 from Morang, 5 from Rukum, 8 from Kailali, 5 fromDang,3 from  Kathmandu, 4 from Bardiya, 14 from Siraha, 8 from Udayapur, 3 from Sunsari, 2 from Banke, 2 from Syanja, 1 from Parsa (media) have been archieved.

²From the day of lockdown (Date: 24 March - 18 April )