The Rise of Domestic Violence During Covid-19 Lockdown

By

Aneela Wadan

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I thought it would be a good time to shed light on the topic of domestic violence. In Virginia, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner and 1 in every 3 women faces some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse. 

Distressingly, following lockdown, reports show that domestic violence has shot up. Relations between husbands and wives form the nucleus of the family system. If there is no love, mutual respect, appreciation and covering of faults within both partners for each other, then the peace of a family will be destroyed, ultimately leading to abuse and negatively impacting children. This leads to the start of a vicious cycle that will carry on from generation to generation. 

Being a medical student trying to land a job as a future psychiatrist, these statistics caught my eye and completely threw me off guard. Furthermore, growing up as an Ahmadi Muslim, I was only taught how the Prophet of Islam showed his wife nothing but love and respect.  He said, “the best among you is one who is best to his wife, and I am the best among you in my dealings with my wives.” The status of women has been exalted in Islam – far more than the status of men. By bringing awareness to the domestic abuse of women during this month brings us one step closer to realizing the flaws in the system.

I already know that women are a force to be reckoned with, and now it’s time the rest of the world sees it too.

Aneela Wadan is currently a final year medical student from St. George's University. She aspires to peruse a career in Psychiatry. Just as she passionate about the importance of mental health, she is also zealous about women in healthcare. Aneela enjoys writing about awareness towards women's issues, humanitarian rights and other hot button issues.