ISLAMABAD: Saima Aslam, a 23-year-old, is nursing her injuries after being assaulted by her husband for failing to bring money to meet the basic household needs.
This is not a unique occurrence, as experts believe that a hike in domestic violence will be witnessed amid a lockdown in the country.
According to a report, many women now find themselves forced to be confined and isolated with domestic abusers.
China, after lockdown, saw official figures for domestic violence cases triple in February. The integral idea of social distancing, which is one of the best strategies to combat the virus, direct exposes women to domestic violence.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Saima said she worked as a receptionist at an office of a private enterprise, but the company told that her services were no more required due to the temporary closure of the company’s head office in the wake of the coronavirus cases.
“We have nothing to eat for the past two days due to the lockdown. I can’t go out to work anywhere as the entire city is facing a lockdown. My husband is a junkie and he gets violent when I don’t give him money,” said Saima.
She said due to the zero inflow of money, the household was starving for the past two days. “Since I failed to make the payment to the nearby shopkeeper, he has also refused to give me groceries.”
Asked if anybody had offered her help, Saima said that due to the lockdown, nobody had taken notice of the violence and even if some did hear the scream, they did not bother fearing coronavirus.
Asked if any government authorities had come for help, she said that the prime minister had announced a package of billions of rupees but that was mostly for the rich and poor classes.
“Prime Minister has announced a package for importers, industrialists, farmers, peasants, and other segments, but there is nothing in the PM’s package for people from lower middle classes or the poor like me who don’t beg. There is a need for the rulers to understand that there are needy and poor who don’t beg,” she said.
INCREASED RISK OF VIOLENCE:
Experts say that a continuous lockdown situation can lead to increased anxiety and depression in society.
Dr Rizwan Taj, Associate Professor and the head of the psychiatry section at PIMS, said that lockdown will have a negative impact on people at large and may trigger domestic and other forms of violence.
“Next two to three months are critical in this regard. If the lockdown situation extends, which I fear may be the case, the domestic violence will most probably be increased.
He said that in lockdown, the life changes to a limited space and prolonged limits may have different impact on adults, kids and the young.
“Stress of any kind leads to abuse and violence; there could be emotional abuse or physical,” he said, adding the lockdown will impact extroverts more.
According to Dr Rizwan, any form of entertainment or some sort of religious activity can be a good distraction to beat the lockdown anxiety.
