Domestic violence - A violation

Domestic violence is a dastardly form of abuse that takes place where a human is supposed to feel secure and safe. At home, one usually is surrounded by people they are loved by the most. Home is a place where a person feels like they can hide on the darkest of days, a place they feel they can stay warm on the windiest of nights and a place where a person can celebrate their happiest moments without having to think about the monsters getting to them. But unfortunately, for some the monsters lurk within the confines of their haven, the place they call home.

Domestic violence is a topic which is not spoken a lot about by people, in fact it hardly makes it to a dinner conversation unlike other irrelevant or maybe not as important subjects do, and this is where the problems begin. To fix a problem, a plan needs to be executed so that everyone has a role to play and can collectively put an end to the torture. However if no one is aware of the battle - the battle cannot be fought. People tend to take this issue very lightly and some don't even tend to realise the importance of how extreme and out of control this issue is getting. Global estimates published by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual/intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime. These statistics show the horrible frequency of domestic violence all around the world. The shame of it is that though many of us are aware of it, we just receive it as news and go on living our lives without actively garnering support for the abused. It is said that the cases of domestic violence have risen since the pandemic started by 50-60%. “In the case of COVID-19, isolation, restricted movement and stay-at-home measures to contain the spread of the infection have a particularly acute impact on women. The chances of women and their children being exposed to violence is dramatically increased, as family members spend more time in close contact and household stress intensifies, and the risk grows even greater when families also have to cope with potential economic or job losses,” as stated by the World Health Organisation.

It is so hard to even imagine something horrific happening to you in your sacred territory, let alone face the ire and wrath of the one who claims to love you is putting you through this trauma. Domestic violence can be best defined as the willful intimaidation, physical assault, sexual assault or other abusive behaviour as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. The frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically, however the one constant component of domestic violence is one partner's consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other. Conclusively, the fact remains domestic abuse needs to be checked, controlled, and compelled out.