The Indian Practitioner

Reena J. Wani ¹, Varun J. Wani ², Zachary DiBiase ³

Affiliations
1 HBT Medical College & Dr RN Cooper Hospital, Mumbai, IN
2 Community Medicine, TNMC & BYL Nair Hospital, Mumbai, IN
3 University of Notre Dame vGPE Program, IN

Abstract

Violence against women remains terribly pervasive and affects 1 in 3 (roughly 736 million) women across their lifetime. This violence can be from an intimate or non-intimate partner and have been fairly unchanged over that last decade since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been emerging data from front line workers that violence of all forms against women and girls has intensified. Addressing this shadow pandemic is a health care crisis of global proportions, but of special significance in the patriarchal Indian scenario and needs to be prioritized amidst the COVID care issues. The first step forward is awareness, followed by access and availability of services. This cannot be achieved overnight but by a step-wise approach. There is an urgent need to adapt our approach, integrate these issues into our health care systems so that survivors can access appropriate medical and social services.

Keywords

Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, COVID-19, Shadow Pandemic.

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