Margins Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 1

MARGINS
MARGINS
THE SHADOW PANDEMIC:
VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN AND GIRLS
By Saman Saeed
For around 243 million women and girls
ranging from ages 15 to 49, their home
adopts the role of a combat zone instead
of the safe haven it is supposed to be (Bettinger-
Lopez and Bro). This unfortunate transformation
can be owed to the drastic numbers of domestic
violence cases around the world. Furthermore,
with the world currently facing one of the greatest
challenges of our generation-the COVID-19
pandemic- these numbers are expected to increase
in what is known as the shadow pandemic:
violence against women and girls. For the sake
of this article, we will focus primarily on the
rise of domestic violence cases in Canada, the
reasons behind this surge and possible solutions
as we attempt to deal with the ramifications of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a recent UN Report, there have been
increased cases of domestic violence and demand
for emergency shelter reported in Canada, the
United Kingdom and the United States (UN
Women). Similarly, there has also been a global
rise in domestic violence by almost 20% especially
in developing countries such as Pakistan, China,
Brazil and so forth. However, these numbers
are often ignored as these countries focus on
attempting to flatten the curve and surviving the
COVID-19 pandemic (BBC News).
“He demanded I stay in a hotel and said, if I
started coughing, he was throwing me out on
the street and that I could die alone in a hospital
room,” a caller reported to a domestic violence
hotline (Jagannathan).
“I want you out now or I am going to hurt you
and you know I can kill you,” another survivor
revealed the threats she received from her partner
after contracting the virus (BBC News).
These are just a small proportion of the 100,000
cases of domestic violence across Canada, a
number that is expected to escalate during the
lockdown (Waugh). With the lockdown enforced
around the country, people are restricted to their
homes unable to leave unless it is essential such
as for a grocery store run, or a medical emergency.
While this certainly is an inconvenience and
troublesome for people who live in a safe,
comfortable environment, for people who are
in quarantine with their abuser it is a matter of
one’s well-being and safety. Being stuck at home
reduces a survivor’s opportunity to escape to the
public sphere nor are they able to reach out to the
facilities and people that can help them.
Visual Credits: Jon Tyson
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