The Dilemma of Covid 19 and Domestic Violence
Covid 19 is a pandemic that never warned of its coming. It came like a thief, and threw chaos in the entire human race. This pandemic attacked indiscriminately. It did not respect economic prowess or political class of any Country. The human race on the other hand, responded within its powers and limits. So much was implemented in the effort to minimizing the spread of the pandemic.
The measures ranged from curfews to lockdowns, which did not spare the academic institutions, political rallies and religious events. All this threatened and still threatens the fabric of human life. The consequences of the lockdown have been widely reported and included all sorts of atrocities, crime, hunger and domestic violence only to mention but a few.
Mitigation measures depend on economic class of a Country in the world. Some Countries like France, came up with facilities to cater for the victims of domestic violence but those Countries without enough resources could not stretch the already limited facilities to protect domestic violence victims. This left the victims to take it as a matter of personal responsibility which included; seeking assistance in case ones feels threatened in the presence of the partner.
Abusive relationships cannot survive the lockdown. Being in lockdown with an abusive spouse renders one more vulnerable than the exposure to the pandemic itself. An old man was reported by a Greek newspaper, to have preferred to stay in the public against the option of staying with his wife at home. He boldly said, “I cannot stay at home, there is another Corona there”
The age of the man was not less than 60 years. This is a man who was voicing out violence from his wife but indirectly. This clearly proved the fact that, the man feared his wife more than Covid-19. His wife was a threat and unleashed terror in him, than a virus that the whole world has united to Combat. What if the world channels the fight to his wife?
The symptoms of domestic violence are always as clear as crystal, but they are in most cases concealed by false care, although some are normally deliberate. The remedy for the victims is to learn to differentiate between love, care and disguised violence.
Lockdown period will expose so much in spouses, some behaviors and characters that have never been portrayed or showcased. It requires more than sober mind to deal with such. Dialogue is the backbone, using wisdom and humility to define some behaviors in a partner is more than a remedy.
If your partner shouts you down, undermines your opinions and feels threatened by your presence, it will be good if such is addressed as first as possible, before it reaches to the point of physical assault. Issuing death threats, demanding consistent explanations from your spouse and always yearning to outsmart your spouse are some of the symptoms of violence.
Staying in relationship, marriage because of some issues or circumstances such as children or your financial status renders your marriage a prison hub and you become more vulnerable to abuse than those in real prisons and quarantine facilities.
One should not feel threatened or fear in the presence of a marital partner. Marital partners are meant to provide a haven of security, sense of belonging and rivers of love to those they are responsible for.
Human beings are given a very unique asset, yes the voice, this is the only antidote for oppression, silence infringes into the rights of this asset. Speaking up against violence cannot only save your life but can save your marriage and also change your partner to a better person.
