THE VIRUS AT HOME

The lockdown has spelled doom for victims of domestic abuse. With no scope of relief, activists are worried about the toll it will take on women’s psyche

- Aditi Pai & Romita Datta

For Kamilini*, the lockdown put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, could not have come at a worst time. Trapped in an abusive marriage for almost 10 years, she had finally mustered the courage to set up a meeting with a lawyer to begin divorce proceedings. She had also lined up a job as women’s hostel superintendent on the outskirts of Kolkata. She could almost taste the freedom. But then the world, along with her carefully laid out plans, came to a standstill because of the coronavirus pandemic. To make matters worse, her husband found out about her plans and what followed next was emotional and physical torture. He even threatened to kill her if she ever dared to open her mouth. With her mobile phone confiscated and home internet connection cut off, she managed to make one distress call to the Swayam helpline through her landline phone. But when the organisation, which provides support services to women and children facing violence, offered help, she hung up saying she couldn’t bring shame upon her parents, plus that she had nowhere to go. Swayam, too, strapped for resources at a time like this, could not follow up.