By Shirley Bobby | Head of Fundraising
The COVID-19 lockdown presented many challenges to women facing domestic violence in homes across India. Before the lockdown, the Lotus Safe Home and our Support and Counseling Centers in the state of Telangana in India received visits from women who needed respite from the tense situations they were facing at home.
Once the lockdown was announced in mid-March 2020, these women (and their dependent children) had no other option but to stay in their homes - with their abusers. The National Commission for Women in India reported a two-fold increase in reported cases of domestic violence, rape and attempted rape from mid-March 2020 onward.
During this time, we began to receive more distress calls and recognized the need to change our mobile helpline number to a toll free helpline number (1800 212 9131) which would allow us to help more women located in different places.
The entire country observed the lockdown strictly and as such, there were only a few women who sought shelter at the Lotus Safe Home. One such woman was Radha (name changed).
Radha's Story...
When she was a young newlywed and pregnant for the first time, her in-laws horrifically added rat poison in her lunch one day and Radha lost her unborn child. She returned to her parents' house and after much persuasion from her husband, she went back to live with him. He began to suggest they move to a house closer to her in-laws but Radha was alarmed and refused. Her husband, angry at her refusal, physically assaulted her to the point of causing grievous harm to her uterus. Practically homeless, Radha came to the Lotus Safe Home.
The staff members of the Lotus Safe Home comforted and helped her deal with her current situation which was that her husband took their son away with him (their daughter was with Radha). But most important of all was the medical attention that Radha required, which the staff members helped her with.
Radha's daughter is ready to join college now and both mother and daughter have returned to their home state with hope for the future with assistance from the Lotus Safe Home to find her son and ensure that he too will be safe and well.
Activities at the Lotus Safe Home...
The caretaker and her daughters are using their time to engage in productive activities to assist the local community. While the caretaker stitched face masks for the local workers in the city, her daughters engaged in arts and crafts to keep their creative juices flowing!
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