‘NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO HURT YOU’

For many, the ongoing lockdown has been about honing their culinary skills, watching great content on OTT platforms and spending quality time with family. But the nationwide shutdown has, unfortunately, shown its ugly side as well — a sharp spike in domestic violence cases across several states in India, according to recent reports. Actor Kriti Sanon, who recently penned a poem on domestic violence finds it “extremely heartbreaking”.

“I had read some articles online, and was astonished to know that domestic violence cases have gone up by 35-40% during the lockdown. Apparently, Punjab alone has about 700 cases,” says the actor, adding, “No one has the right to hit or hurt you. Be it emotional and especially physical abuse, why should any woman put up with it? It needs to change immediately.”

The actor feels women must be “brave” about such a “horrible” thing. “I understand that women are scared to take a big step but they need to be brave because just one right step can change your life for good. If my talking about it can encourage even one person, who’s stuck in such a despicable situation, it will be worth it,” she says.

Kriti, who had posted a video and a poem titled Abused [that she wrote when she was in the 11th grade] highlighting the domestic violence, says it “needs to be

Hspoken about much more.” The Luka Chuppi (2019) actor recalls how her then domestic help [in Delhi] would cry in front of her mother since her husband beat her. So, she wrote a poem “imagining what the house-help must be feeling”.

“My mum tried to help her and also advised her on certain things. But she felt helpless saying, ‘I can’t do that.’ I feel today, if I were to go back in time, I would probably change the ending of the poem,” says Kriti. ollywood star Salma Hayek launched a campaign on Wednesday to combat violence against women during the Covid-19 lockdown. The Desperado actor has urged her millions of social media followers to “stand in solidarity with women.” The #Standwithwomen campaign will help fund organisations fighting domestic violence around the world. “We retreat into our homes to protect ourselves from the threat of COVID-19, but what if our home was a threat itself?” said Hayek.

PHOTO: CLIVE BRUNSKILL/GETTY IMAGES Kriti Sanon