In this photo taken on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, a woman who has been beaten by her husband, looks through a window in a shelter for women who suffered from domestic violence outside Moscow, Russia (representational image)
Domestic violence cases across major countries have been on the rise since the countrywide lockdowns, announced by national governments in a bid to check the spread of the coronavirus came into effect, a report in Vatican News, the official news website of the Vatican City has highlighted. The news report noted with concern that governments across the world were receiving increasing calls for help since the institution of these lockdowns.
A major reason for the trend is that people are being forced to spend more time with their abusers, the report said.
Highlighting the rise in cases in several countries, the news report said that domestic violence in France had risen by 36 per cent in recent weeks. The French government has announced a series of measures to tackle the social problem, which includes the authorities paying for help-seekers to put up in hotels and accommodations outside their homes. France's lockdown began on March 17.
The report further says that those at risk of domestic abuse in the United Kingdom were being encouraged to place a "silent call", which entails dialling the emergency number 999 and then opting for the police number, 55. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a near-sweeping countrywide lockdown on March 23.
The Australian government, meanwhile, has announced a special $142 million package towards fighting the problem of domestic violence, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared that the authorities had noted a 75 per cent rise in Google searches for help since the lockdown came into effect. A Daily Mail report this week quoted the police chief of New South Wales, one of the bigger states, as saying that a milder form of lockdown would remain in place across the country till June.
Also read: Effect of Lockdown? Delhi sees nearly 50 per cent drop in crime in March
