Mon, Dec 14, 2020, 09:19 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
By Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka Dec 14, Colombo: Niranjala’s (name changed) husband started physically abusing her soon after they got married.
When she was about to file for a divorce, the pandemic struck. Confined within the house during lockdowns, she suffered abuse almost daily to the point of being hospitalized. The husband was later arrested.
A staggering two out of five women in South Asia have experienced intimate partner violence. And COVID-19 has worsened the situation.
Women and children are more likely to experience violence within the four walls of their homes due to movement restrictions imposed during lockdowns. They are no longer able to step outside to seek assistance and support. Women were not able to leave their homes to call a gender-based violence (GBV) hotline or access health or legal services.