Domestic violence has increased amid the ongoing countrywide shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, a human rights organisation on Wednesday said.
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) revealed it through an online press conference adding that some 4,249 women and 456 children became victims of domestic violence in April last.
Of them, 1,672 women and 424 children had never been abused before, and 93 percent of the children were abused by their parents and relatives, the press conference revealed.
Addressing the press conference, Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of MJF, said that it was challenging and difficult to collect information on domestic violence from women and children by telephone amid the lockdown. The organisation has collected information for its survey by contacting women and children from its 27 work areas over mobile phones.
The 24 affiliates of the two projects of the organisation have contacted over mobile phones with 17,203 women and children of 602 villages under 58 Upazilas in 27 districts and of 4 city corporations to uncover the horrific details of the violence and abuse that took place in April.
According to the survey, some 848 women were physically abused by their husbands, 2008 were mentally abused, 85 were sexually abused and 1,308 were financially abused. Apart from this, 4 women were raped, 1 was killed and 20 women were sexually harassed.
The press conference made some recommendations regarding curbing domestic violence during the ongoing shutdown situation. Helplines such as 109 for stopping violence against women, and 999 for help from police should be made more effective so that women victims of violence can get help as soon as they call, they recommended.
Many women are forced to leave their homes due to violence, in which case they need shelter. Therefore, arrangements have to be made so that women can get shelter in government safety. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the women are not getting shelter or help from the helplines.