THE VULNERABILITY OF WOMEN IN THE COVID CRISIS

Profile of the Author: Gunjan Agarwal is pursuing LLB (3 years) course from Jaipur National University, having a keen interest in Constitutional laws, IPR laws and socio-legal contemporary issues.

INTRODUCTION

The women, globally, are subject to vulnerability since time immemorial. Numerous issues contribute to the cause such as lack of education, limited access to resources, economic conditions, general inequality, and other cultural issues predominant in the society. The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the issues faced by women. There is a substantial growth in the crime against women including all forms of violence such as domestic violence, violence on streets or online, and other possible forms.

Globally, 30% of women experience physical or sexual violence by their partner in their lifetime.[1] Such violence can increase during humanitarian crises and the current pandemic is one such event.[2] As the pandemic is intensifying, the violence against women is taking a rise and is attracting attention. Many articles and media sources show how women are being targeted in such tough times and how the lack of authoritative help is making their lives more miserable.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 

The pandemic has forced the markets to shut and brought work from the home culture into the picture. Due to this changing scenario, the home time of partners has increased and has led to an increase in violence against women. The stress level has increased so is physical violence. The lack of resources and restricted social networking has further increased the stress. Due to the pandemic, the health services and other forms of help are unavailable and the restricted means of support are adding to the misery. There is less family support as well as access to friends for help is limited. The disruption of the social and economic protective network has further deteriorated the consequences. 

Therefore, this causes frustration among the partners, and females are subjected to domestic abuse. The situation is alarming and requires immediate attention to prevent such domestic abuse. The government must include the essential services to deal with violence against women, put rescue operations in place and come up with strategies to save women from such crimes such as sexual abuse and domestic violence.[3]

ECONOMIC CRISIS

Among several issues being faced by women of this country, an economic crisis is one of them. The small and marginalized women are facing the maximum burnt of the COVID-19 fallout. With the increase in household work and pressure, they are forced to leave their jobs and take care of the house. Also, it is a well-known fact that women earn less as compared to men hence they save less. The situation is worsening day by day and the economic status of women is crashing. The majority of the female population in the country are engaged in work in the informal sector with no job security. Therefore, due to the social distancing norms; forced shutting down of the markets snatched away jobs from such female workers who worked on a daily wage basis. 

There are various other sectors as well where women are the front liners but have to take a backseat. One such example is household domestic helpers who lost their jobs as the life of busy housewives who relied on such helpers came to a standstill and people started spending more time at home doing their work on their own. This sudden shift has immensely impacted the economic status of women at large. The duty women do at home is often overlooked and never paid for. Their care for their family is considered as part of their duty as a female and not regarded in high spirits.[4]

HEALTH CONCERNS

The health of women has always been a great concern. They are more prone to diseases as compare to men. One such reason is their biological structure; they are exposed to various vulnerable diseases and often lack proper health and medical services. The pandemic has increased this issue. The focus of the healthcare sector has primarily shifted to the curb of the pandemic. The regular healthcare sector has taken a toll across the country. This has greatly impacted the overall well-being of a female. 

Women not only face physical domestic violence but is also a victim of psychological issues. The increased stress due to economic fallout and the burden of the household chores add to the concern. Not only this they are prey to psychological abuse by their family as well. They often have to bear with violent sexual relationships, coercion, and sexual remarks. Many of the females are deprived of the basic needs and are forced to do household chores against their wish. This makes them suffer depression, anxiety, and trauma. This is a vicious cycle of behaviour that a woman has the go through in her daily life with few or no solutions to them. The voice of protest against such behaviour is either suppressed or go unheard. [5]

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

The violence has increased tremendously due to the loss of jobs, increased stress, higher unemployment, and increased time at home. The women are the worst hit target in all the scenarios. They are abused not only at home but also in their professional spaces. The healthcare sector has 70% of women helpers in the frontline. Due to the increased work pressure and the present scenario, they are exposed to various crimes such as sexual abuse and violence. They are working overtime and underpaid. 

The use of digital technology is also one of the reasons. On one hand, it helps the victim to get help or justice by posting on social media while on the other hand they can be obstructed from using social media platforms by not allowing them access to their mobile phones, laptops, or other digital devices.

CONCLUSION

The pandemic has created a deep impacted social and economic crisis that cannot be overlooked. It can be understood from the discussion above that women are suffering in every stratum of society. The ambit is wide enough to include the hardships faced by the migrant female workers who walked miles during lockdown even while pregnant without food for days. It also includes the unrecognized sector of the society i.e. transgenders and sex workers. They also faced a number of challenges due to a lack of recognition in the society. They neither get social support nor economic support due to the existing stereotypes.

Therefore, the need of the hour is to address all the issues faced by women at large and come up with the strategies and solutions to make their lives better, future brighter, and life more meaningful.

The strategies may include-

1. Prioritize sexual and reproductive healthcare services and legal aid.
2. Move services online and create social networks for survivors
3. Increase awareness and advocacy campaigns
4. Designate domestic violence shelters as essential services and increase resources to them and groups on the front line of response
5. Designate safe spaces to report abuse (example grocery stores, pharmacies etc.) with the benefit of anonymity [6]

Disclaimer: This article is an original submission of the Author. Niti Manthan does not hold any liability arising out of this article. Kindly refer to our Terms of use or write to us in case of any concerns.

REFERENCES

[1] WHO Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. World Health Organization, 2013.

[2] Parkinson D, Zara C. The hidden disaster: domestic violence in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Aust J Emerg Manag 2013; 28:28-35.

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7202944/

[4] https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/women-at-the-core-of-the-fight-against-covid-19-crisis-553a8269/

[5] https://feminisminindia.com/2020/05/05/covid-19-women-vulnerable-mental-health-issues/

[6] https://feminisminindia.com/2020/05/05/covid-19-women-vulnerable-mental-health-issues/