Domestic violence in this lockdown: Another pandemic we must fight – Mofiyinfoluwa

MOFIYINFOLUWA BOLUWATIFE ADEOBA

Domestic violence is mostly directed against a person because of their gender.This makes it human right violation.Although both women and men experience domestic violence,the majority of victims are women and girls. Every week in Nigeria, domestic violence, sexual and gender based violence,rape molestation, defilement, early marriage, sexual harassment or trafficking in person is published in the media.The evil doer are often males i.e father, uncle, brothers, neighbor, teacher, friends, brothers or cousins.

Unfortunately,due to lack of structural social services system in place in Nigeria, access to hotline, civil society groups and non governmental organization who are specialized in providing support and legal expertise is far and even not existing. Reports on domestic violence is even more than doubled.
The lockdown has made it difficult for women to easily and quickly reach the police station and delayed response from the police is a big challenge. Without money to pay the police and without proper literacy and legal support, reporting a case and filing documents at the police station is also an awkward process.
The way such a woman feels makes her vulnerable at the police station.

One of the reasons for domestic violence is lack of effective communication between the two persons, unexpected marriage between the two parties or lack of sexual satisfaction. When a person is unable to express the lack of sexual satisfaction in a relationship it then leads to violence.othe reasons for domestic violence is insufficient finance or financial barriers.

In a case whereby a woman who is financially stable is in a relationship with one who earns a low income this can become an issue with a partner already suffering from low income and poor communication.

The global lockdown should get a type of intervention in domestic violence that is most unusual. States should creates funds and implement steps and process to help women tucked in an abusive home. This includes: secret masks request as a signal that one is abused,the significant budget allocation for shelter and specialist police unit, protection orders,funding hotels room for victims who need to escape violent homes and also to reorganize counseling centers.

Now the question is: why could the government not try all of this methods before the lockdown so as to avoid all of this happening now.
Why is it now that the violence is getting rampant they’re now running helterskelter to find solutions.

One of the main reasons why the lockdown triggered these steps they are trying to make is because the complaint of domestic violence have increased since the lockdown, in some countries by as much as 50%.

It really must have come to our mind that the covid 19 pandemic made it possible for the government to know about another pandemic which is domestic violence.
It means that everyone seems to know what it means to be locked at home.

With the process taken by the government to put an end to this violence we hope if they eventually get a way to stop this before the end of the pandemic same will be done post the pandemic because the solutios will also be effective after the pandemic.

Those solutions will be needed whether one is stuck because of a lockdown or effectively by the abusers.