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It’s been quite long since we’ve all been praying for this lockdown to come to an end. While most of us are constantly pushing on the fact that our lives have reached an extreme level of boredom, some others actually do not have the privilege to get to that level. While we rant about boredom as our life’s biggest issue on social media, some actual issues are not getting the attention they deserve.

In this time period, domestic violence has reached its peak. Most of you would be offended by how I disgraced your rants about boredom, but unawareness is a huge problem that needs to be taken into account. So this information is basically about identifying the ignorance that is in a way extremely dangerous.

Domestic violence involves a pattern of psychological, physical, sexual, financial, and emotional abuse. Acts of assault, threats, humiliation, and intimidation are also considered acts of violence. Domestic violence as perceived doesn’t only occur with married people, it can be with anyone, by any family members. But there is no denying the fact that 85% of the cases are of women and of married couples. I was going through some news articles and one news just threw me over the edge.

Just before the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in India, a young woman went to her parent’s home to find a safe shelter as her husband used to beat her, and she couldn’t stand the idea of staying with her husband 24 hours every day locked in those four walls.

But little did she know that hopes to have a Safe Haven are going to be crushed and thrown into the trash can. According to the news, her brother beat her up! The defense used by him was that he was facing financial crises due to the lockdown. Such an amazing excuse to beat someone up, isn’t it? Just because they are not dealing with the situation aggressively, doesn’t mean they are your punching bag. These cases have exponentially increased over the globe, not only in India but in developed countries like China, the United Kingdom, and the United States among others. The victims not only include women but also men and children, and is sometimes extended to the old members of the family.

Most of the people ignore the signs of the onset of domestic violence.

How can you determine whether you are in an abusive relationship or not?

Are you scared of your partner all the time?

Do you prefer to bury some topics because you fear the consequences that you might face?

Do you fear the anger, the yelling, the humiliation of your partner/family member even if you choose to address a simple issue?

Does your partner frame you for his actions?

Domestic violence is an act of abuse by family members and in most cases, the victim is not able to put up a good fight or present any rebuttals to the accusations made by the abuser and this may eventually lead to domestic rapes. These actions affect the mental health of the children and all the other people living around the victim and the abuser.

The children who experience abuse at an early stage in their lives tend to have deep impacts on their minds, which in most cases are carried with them for the rest of their lives. These children are exposed to excessive levels of additional developmental risk factors who were at some point involved in these incidents to varying degrees.

I know it’s a lot of information to grab but if anyone who is reading this can be saved from this torture, then this will be a huge development. Every woman, man, or child (aggrieved person) who is or has been in a domestic relationship with the perpetrator (respondent) of the domestic violence can take help of the PWDV ACT, 2005. Help can be sort from NGOs, Police, Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDV ACT, 2005). The Protection officer of the area and register DIR (Domestic Incident Report) can too be contacted. The victim can also go directly to the magistrate. It can be hard to recognize or admit that you’re in an abusive relationship- but help is available. Remember no one deserves to be abused!