Amid government actions to restrict movements in controlling the spread of coronavirus infection, containment measures adopted around the world and in the country, such as community quarantine, give rise to equally concerning issues. One of which is the escalation of incidents of domestic violence.

The Commission on Human Rights denounces all gender-based violence against women and children whether under normal circumstances or during national emergencies. We emphasise that in our mass efforts to save lives, we should mitigate the risk of putting vulnerable groups at more danger.

Women and children who experience abuse are trapped inside their homes with their abusers, and have nowhere to go. Most of these women are not able to seek help because they fear being overheard by their abusive partners or are stopped from leaving home. An exact figure of cases of domestic violence involving their partners is hard to obtain as they go unreported due to the sensitivity of the issue and the stigma that it entails.

In times of home confinement, women endure the burden of attending to most of domestic work and caring duties for their family members—including children, sick, and elderly loved ones. General uncertainty about the situation, restricted movement, and financial constraints are causing psychological and mental exhaustion within the household. These embolden perpetrators to assert coercive control over their partners and children which could lead to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.

The increased threat to women and children can be a predicted consequence of the coronavirus lockdowns. As the country’s Gender Ombud, the CHR has observed that heightened occurrence of abuse is a pattern repeated in many emergencies—whether driven by conflict, disasters, economic crisis, or during disease outbreaks.

While we recognise that the priority is to address the threat of the disease, we urge the government to equally undertake measures to combat domestic violence and to provide protection for the rights of women and children. Likewise, we encourage the government to adopt measures ensuring that victims of abuses have access to legal aid, such as restraining orders even during crisis; to provide safe shelters and financial aid for those who wanted to leave their house; and to provide medical and psychological care through helpline services which victims could access via online chats and texting services as calls might not be the most safe way of reporting.

Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime. And under the coronavirus regime, leaving violent relations is far more difficult and dangerous. The disease already poses a particularly grave challenge and women and children do not deserve to suffer further, not especially in their homes. ###