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Surge in domestic violence cases in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

by Rheanne Wong, Co-founder of StandUpMy

 

A few days ago, the Prime Minister announced another extension of the MCO for two more weeks.

Deputy Minister of KPWKM (Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat), Dato’ Hajah Siti Zailah has just released another video giving out tips and advise on how to avoid domestic violence.

Throughout the period of MCO, there has been a surge in the number of calls due to domestic violence taking place. The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) reports a 44% increase in their helpline calls. KPWKM reported an increase of 57% for calls to Talian Kasih (national helpline).

Certainly this global pandemic has put the nation through tough times (and tough is an understatement of the situation), it has challenged our individual perspectives on our national system, especially for vulnerable groups. As like all young persons, I find myself on Twitterjaya often. I stumbled upon a video posted by pop singer Lady Gaga. She talked about the notion that we are all in this together. In a gist, she acknowledged the fact that despite the pandemic affecting us all regardless of our economic backgrounds, it still affects us differently. Especially for victims of domestic violence.

The video by Deputy Ministry KPWKM, comes at a horrible time considering the amount of backlash the ministry recently received after posting the “Doraemon” poster. The video trivialises domestic violence and, romanticising the idea that perpetrators take the time to calm their anger before inflicting violence onto their victim.

The reality is different, the abuse that happens in a household is almost always due to the gap of power between the victim and perpetrator, and that power gap stems from the underlying values of a patriarchal, misogynistic society that is still ingrained in so many families and communities today.

KPWKM may have good intentions, however, tips and advises like these are definitely not catered to those who are currently experiencing domestic violence. This MCO may have been relaxing for some, who are able to spend time with their families in the comfort of a happy home. However, this pandemic has definitely revealed to us the underlying systemic issues that should have been addressed long ago by our government.

I can only urge for KPWKM to take domestic violence seriously, whilst preventive measures like couples’ therapy will be helpful, you cannot use those same policies for victims. Welfare officers have to be trained, and deployed immediately to ensure the wellbeing of the victim and/or the victim’s children. We cannot wait until they end up on a hospital bed. The nation also cannot be soft-spoken about such issues. Such circumstances would normalise and trivialise the issue further, leading to a surge in cases of unreported domestic violence (which is far worse). We must care and understand the nightmarish circumstances the victims are in, even if we are happy in our own home.

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