COVID-19 and Violence Against Women in India

Abstract

Women have long been facing oppression and violence. There are various forms ofviolence which include domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. The violence against women is often associated with power and dominance. With the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a sudden increase of cases being reported of violence against women. It has been seen in various studies that whether it is a pandemic or natural disaster women face additional burden. As the number ofCOVID-19 cases increased, theGovernment of India took the step of lockdown to curb the spread but there were certain social discriminations which rose in the shadow of the pandemic. Men and women have been affected indifferently during the pandemic. The pandemic led to the loss of jobs of men and women. The men vented out their stress and frustration on the women. The women who lost their jobs became more dependent on abusive partners. The lockdown phase obstructed women seeking help when facing violence. The chapter focuses on complaints receivedby the authorities (National Commission forWomen), the state-wise variation of crimes reported against women, cases of violence against women using newspaper articles, the impact on women and strategies to help women facing violence.