Eight cases of domestic violence reported during lockdown in Nagaland

Our Correspondent
Kohima, June 11 (EMN): Nagaland reported 30 cases at Sakhi-One Stop Centre (OSC), including eight cases of domestic violence, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

This was informed to journalists on Thursday by Gracy Ayee, the state co-ordinator for State Resource Centre for Women (SRCW), the nodal agency of Sakhi-One Stop Centre initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, government of India. At the state level, the department of Social Welfare is the nodal department.

Citing a report furnished by the SRCW, she said that a total of 30 cases were reported at OSC during the Covid-19 lockdown period from March 23 till May 31, with eight cases of domestic violence, five cases of harassment, three cases of cyber crime, three cases of missing/fleeing, one case of child sexual abuse, two cases related to mental health, and eight distress calls.

Dimapur district registered the highest number of cases with a tally of 12, followed by Mon, Peren, Phek and Wokha with three cases each.

Longleng and Mokokchung registered two cases each, Kohima and Tuensang got one case each; while Kiphire and Zunheboto did not report any during the period (March 23 till May 31).

“These domestic violence cases are extreme cases, normally people don’t come when it is something women can bear; it is when it becomes unbearable, they cannot take any more or when it is serious, relating to health concern, then they come forward,” Ayee said.

The official also narrated an incident, where the workers had to take one woman to the hospital to get stitches after a man had attacked her in an inebriated state with a machete (dao).

“We are talking about the big (Covid-19) virus, but looking at all these stories, there are bigger social evils inside our own homes, bigger than this virus, and that is domestic violence. This is a big and serious concern,” she asserted.

Ayee said that many women are in distress and have been calling at helpline services during the emergency Covid-19 period, adding that age is not a factor when it comes to domestic violence.

“When it comes to violence, there is no age group, a newborn child, a young adolescent girl or even old age women are victims of domestic violence,” she said while highlighting an incident involving a distress call from a 70-year-old woman being abused by the husband.

“Among the young people, cyber crime is on the rise owing to the use of technology and many people are not using it responsibly; that becomes a serious concern,” maintained Ayee.

She also maintained that the OSC provide counselling services, legal aid, medical support system and also emergency services in the form of providing shelter during crises.

She informed that Sakhi-One Stop Centres in Kohima and Dimapur district were started in 2016 while the remaining nine district centres were established in March 2019, working particularly for women and girls.

Helpline updates

Meanwhile, the Women Helpline (WHL)-181, integrated with OSC functioning 24×7 from the state capital, received a total of 488 cases from March 23 till May 31.