In the deputy director’s own words:
“It is a growing crisis within the crisis. We need to pay maximum attention to this now. It’s truly disturbing. And if we don’t do anything about it — if we don’t talk about it, if we don’t ring the alarm bell — every three months there will be an additional 15 million cases.”
Lockdowns, and the leaders who are all too happy to instate them, are enabling a culture of domestic violence. Stay home orders not only confine victims in close quarters with their abusers, but these mandates also lessen access to support and services that are ordinarily available.
Women share horrific photos of injuries to raise awareness of domestic violence as 14 are killed since start of lockdownhttps://t.co/FFtWzeuFPg pic.twitter.com/15GNLvBBdF
— mohammad solymani (@msolymani13) April 30, 2020
In additional remarks, the UNFPA deputy director confirmed that “life-saving support and care” is neccessary for victims of domestic violence, even in the wake of COVID-19. This is yet another reason why indefinite shutdowns are problematic. Since lockdowns began, domestic violence has already claimed many lives.
For the purpose of raising awareness, some women have taken to social media and posted images of the abuse they’ve experienced. These images are not for the faint of heart; however, they can be viewed here.
