With families across Europe confined to their homes to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, fears are rising of a surge in domestic violence.<\/p>\n
From Berlin to Paris, Madrid, Rome and Bratislava, associations that help victims of domestic violence have sounded the alarm after Europe overtook China to become the epicentre of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many people, their home is already not a safe place,\u201d says the German federal association of women\u2019s counselling centres and helplines (BFF).<\/p>\n
But the stress caused by social isolation is exacerbating tensions and increasing \u201cthe risk of domestic and sexual violence against women and children\u201d, the association warns.<\/p>\n
And the risks are not limited to homes where violence was already a problem before.<\/p>\n
On top of the stress caused by confinement, fears around job security and financial difficulties are also increasing the likelihood of conflicts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s putting a lot of pressure on households,\u201d says Florence Claudepierre, head of the FCPE parents\u2019 federation in the Upper Rhine, a region hit hard by the pandemic in France.<\/p>\n
She said she is hearing stories of \u201cparents who are cracking, who can\u2019t carry on\u201d in families that have not previously had any problems.<\/p>\n
In China, which is slowly emerging from several weeks of total lockdown, the women\u2019s rights organisation Weiping has reported a threefold increase in reports of violence against women.<\/p>\n
In Spain, which has the second-worst outbreak in Europe after Italy, a 35-year-old mother of two was murdered by her partner last week.<\/p>\n
\u2013 \u2018Where can I go?\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, help centres have noted a drop in calls for help \u2014 which is not necessarily seen as a good sign either.<\/p>\n
For children, young people and women who are victims of domestic violence \u2014 mental or physical \u2014 the current situation means \u201cbeing constantly available\u201d for abuse by the perpetrator, the German federation stresses.<\/p>\n
Decisions to shut down schools, sports clubs and youth centres are important to curb the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals from being overrun, acknowledges Rainer Rettinger, who heads a German child protection association.<\/p>\n
But \u201cwho is seeing and hearing abused children today?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow violence, too, has been confined. That\u2019s what we\u2019re afraid of,\u201d says Martine Brousse, head of Parisian organisation La Voix de l\u2019Enfant (The Child\u2019s Voice).<\/p>\n
As governments pour billions into their economies and health services, they should \u201cnot lose sight of the importance of equality and fundamental human rights,\u201d Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo, the general rapporteur on violence against women for the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, pointed out recently.<\/p>\n
Domestic violence associations are facing a double-edged sword: With many social workers having to work from home, they are unable to reach victims; and when people need to be brought to safety, there are often not enough places in the refuges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen have called us and told us they are experiencing violence at home. They are asking: Where can I go?\u201d says Canan Gullu, from Turkey\u2019s federation of women\u2019s organisations.<\/p>\n
In Germany, families minister Franziska Giffey has called on municipalities to organise alternative reception facilities if necessary, while neighbouring Austria provides guaranteed places in women\u2019s refuges or the removal of violent family members from quarantined households.<\/p>\n
In the countries with the strictest lockdowns, such as Italy, victims are exempt from some of the rules \u2014 such as the requirement to carry a document justifying why they are leaving their home \u2014 if they need to visit a refuge centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current situation is unprecedented,\u201d says Adriana Havasova, a psychologist from Bratislava. She hopes the confinement will be limited to two or three weeks.<\/p>\n
If it goes on for several months, \u201cI can\u2019t imagine how much more domestic violence could increase,\u201d she warns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With families across Europe confined to their homes to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, fears are rising of a surge in domestic violence. From Berlin to Paris, Madrid, Rome and Bratislava, associations that help victims of domestic violence have sounded the alarm after Europe overtook China to become the epicentre of the pandemic. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":19691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1361,7],"tags":[128,1279],"class_list":{"0":"post-21298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-coronavirus-in-zimbabwe","9":"category-files","10":"tag-community","11":"tag-coronavirus-in-zimbabwe"},"yoast_head":"\n