State to check on victims of domestic violence

May Be Silenced By Shutdown, Say Experts On Drop In Distress Calls

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

The state commission for women has directed the social welfare department to keep tabs during the lockdown on women in the city who had earlier complained about domestic violence.

The commission and social workers are on alert as the exclusive helpline for women, 181, has received only four calls in the last 12 days from women in the city, when it normally gets 15-20 calls a day.

The commission has asked the department to ensure that social workers provide shelter, medical aid or counselling to victims of violence and also to ensure that all one-stop centres are well equipped to take care of those in need.

“We don’t know how many women are comfortable seeking help since they are stuck with their families all day inside their homes and don’t know how to seek help during these times,” said Kannagi Packianathan, chairperson of the commission.

“We are now following up on women who had previously complained of abuse, just to ensure they are alright,” said a social welfare department source.

Women’s organisations said they too have not received any complaints from women since the shutdown. “They usually come to us when their spouses or families are away from home or when they are alone. But now they are not,” said R Geeta, an adviser to the unorganised workers federation. “And this is also a time when lack of money or unemployment can create more tensions and conflicts in a household and usually it’s the woman who bears the brunt,” said Geeta.

“Or maybe women are not seeking help because they are happy that their spouses are standing by them during these turbulent times. This is another possibility,” said Sujata Mody, president of Penn Thozhilalargal Sangam. She too did not receive any complaint but pointed to cases where women said that their spouses were now sober and more responsible at home.

“Low reporting does not necessarily indicate more violence. It’s high time that we stop thinking that only men from the working-class are capable of inflicting violence on their women,” she said.