Sushmita Dev writes to PM Modi over rising cases of domestic violence and child abuse during lockdown

National Congress President of Mahila Congress and former MP Sushmita Dev has written to the Prime Minister over the rising numbers of domestic violence cases in India during the lockdown. Various studies have shown that women and kids have been subjected to more abuse in this period.

In her letter, former Silchar MP, Sushmita Dev wrote, “I feel compelled to write to you about a matter, which by way of priority should have been an issue which was sufficiently addressed by the Government, especially by the Ministry for Women and Child Development, at the earliest. However, it has come to pass that several organisations, lawyers, collectives and citizens have written to you but to no avail, hence I am making my sincere effort in bringing to light this issue.”

“The issue which is of crucial importance is the rise in violence against women and children during this period of lockdown. The National Commission for Women (NCW) reported that the number of cases of domestic violence complaints it had received more than doubled from 30 in the week starting March 2, 2020, to 69 for the period between March 23 and April 1, 2020, a 130% rise. These are only the online complaints; the NCW is yet to compile data from the postal complaints, given lockdown limitations. Meanwhile, in the same period, Childline India helpline received more than 92,000 SOS calls asking for protection from abuse and violence in just 11 days from when the lockdown was declared,” she added.

As per the letter penned by Dev, while NCRB data over the years has shown that children and women are more likely to be subjected to abuse within their households, trends from across the world show that this has increase rapidly during the lockdown and India is no exception.

Dev added, “The figures are an indication that at a time of lockdowns and home isolation, women and children are at greater risk of experiencing violence and abuse and are trapped with their abusers in a place where they should be safest: their own homes.”

Concluding the letter, Dev mentioned, “India’s lockdown came into force hours after the March 24th announcement, leaving the vulnerable with no time or options to seek refuge. The above numbers give some indication of the scale of the problem, but only cover cases where reporting took place. As the lockdown continues (as has been the case), the inadequacy of an institutional machinery to sufficiently address the issue has further exacerbated the issue and put more women and children at risk.”