Published 16:06 IST, April 18th 2020
Delhi High Court agrees to hear petition on rise in domestic violence cases amid lockdown
There has been a steep rise in crime against women across the country amid restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak
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Delhi High Court, on Saturday, agreed to hear a petition filed by the All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties & Social Justice through advocates Mithu Jain, Arjun Syal, and Vidisha Kumar. The petition was filed on Thursday in the court.
Spike in domestic violence
The petition highlighted the increase in domestic violence incidents since the lockdown last month, now extended till May 3, and sought the court's urgent intervention in the interest of women and children. It sought certain immediate and effective measures to be adopted to help victims of domestic violence and child abuse during the lockdown.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched a WhatsApp number --7217735372 – on Friday to report cases of domestic violence, which have been on a rise during the lockdown period.
There has been a steep rise in crime against women across the country amid restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the National Commission for Women receiving 587 complaints from March 23 to April 16, out of which 239 are related to domestic violence.
According to data shared by the NCW, 123 cases of domestic violence were received between February 27 and March 22. In the last 25 days, the commission received 239 more such complaints. NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma earlier said that the high number can be attributed to the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak which has locked the abuser and the victim together.
The nationwide lockdown was declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 to control the spread of coronavirus. From February 27 to March 22, a total of 396 offences related to women were reported to the NCW, while from March 23 to April 16, as many as 587 such complaints were received, according to the data.
16:06 IST, April 18th 2020