Compass Gender: Indian Actors Stand with Domestic Abuse Victims

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari is one of the faces of the #ActAgainstAbuse campaign (Wikimedia Commons)

The Indian publication “Femina” has partnered with UN Women to combat the nation’s recent rise in domestic abuse cases with the #ActAgainstAbuse campaign. The women’s magazine launched the campaign to “create awareness and provide a safe space that encourages people to report [abuse].” The campaign has recruited some of India’s most famous female stars to call attention to the growing crisis. 

Since nationwide lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, India has witnessed significant spikes in women filing reports of domestic abuse. In fact, data from the National Commission for Women India indicates that between March (when lockdown began) and April 2020, abuse reports increased by 100 percent, though this statistic likely grossly underestimates the severity of the situation.

Acclaimed actress Aditi Rao Hydari, one of the faces of the #ActAgainstAbuse campaign, addressed the challenges posed by lockdowns, stating that “in these trying times, we [should] come together to support and help women and children dealing with domestic violence in their homes. As a society, it’s time we take a stand against it and put an end to it.”

Even before the pandemic, however, India did not have a great reputation when it came to gender equality. Ranked 112th in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index, the country dropped for points from 2019 after only 66.8 percent of gender disparities pertaining to economics, education, health, and politics experienced any improvement. Due in part to these inequalities, women compose three times less of the labor force than do their male counterparts, meaning that as the economy began to shutter in March, millions of men returned home to quarantine with their partners. 

Experts speculate that the plethora of strains caused by the pandemic has made partners more irritable and more likely to lash out with violence against their cohabitants. Pre-pandemic, roughly 40 percent of Indian women had experienced some form of domestic abuse in their lifetime. Under lockdown conditions and with abusers unable to leave their homes, these rates have dramatically increased.

Although there are not many instances wherein rates of abuse have been correlated with the forced confinements of the masses, recent studies demonstrate a relationship between experiencing psychologically stressful situations and an increase in domestic abuse reports. Applying this line of thought to present realities, COVID-19 has created much angst and, having no other outlet, Indian men unleash on women.

Regrettably, this trend extends far beyond India. A global rise in domestic abuse reports has closely correlated with the introduction of lockdown measures. Countries that have experienced a surge in these reports include Singapore, France, Argentina, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Germany. According to a statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Mgcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, “more than 243 million women and girls (aged 15-49) across the world have been subjected to sexual or physical abuse [in the previous 12 months] by an intimate partner… [and] as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, this number is likely to rise.” The organization has published multiple reports regarding the increase of domestic violence reports, which in and of itself constitutes a global health crisis.

UN chief António Guterres tweeted in April: “Many women under lockdown for #COVID19 face violence where they should feel safest: in their own homes. Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world. I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic.” Unfortunately, though, numerous other ongoing global crises have taken precedence. This notwithstanding, as governments relax lockdown measures, the number of women filing reports has begun to return to pre-pandemic levels.  While the spike may be on the decline, the fact that it occurred at all reiterates the urgency with which governments and international organizations must work to mitigate violence in the home.