Lockdown saw women abused

Several reports have stated that women faced increased domestic violence during the lockdown as families were cooped together due to restrictions on their movement, and asking for help was difficult.

One such victim is Dipali Mehta, an award-winning fashion designer and handloom supplier, who decided she had had enough. After 21 years of marriage, she has lodged a complaint with the women’s police station at Begumpet accusing her husband and in-laws of domestic violence.

Depali, a mother of two, said: “For 21 long years, I was silent and taking all the harassment, only to safeguard the family’s reputation and pride. Now I said enough is enough and walked into the women’s police station at Begumpet.”

“My children who are 19 and 16 stood by me. They say I should have done it long back,” she said. “These people who move in society, when you examine their personal lives, they are horrifying.”

Dipali lost her job as a business development manager in a textile company during the lockdown. She could not move out of her in-laws’ house as she could not afford the rent and expenses.

Dr Anita Rego, marital and family therapist, said, “The lockdown pushed people to stay under one roof. Their social relations were stressed and many families faced conflicts. This resulted in problems in families approached the legal system or counselling services.”

She said there is minimal psychological support from the government as well from society.

Seethiraju Sridhar Rao. advocate, said “during the lockdown, many family issues have been triggered. The number of people seeking legal aid in family disputes is on the rise.”