Thread by @monaeltahawy

#COVID19 lockdowns and quarantines seem to be reducing crime rates outside.

But inside - at home - increased rates of domestic abuse are a reminder of another kind of global pandemic: violence against women and children.

Home has never been safe for everyone. #coronavirus

Crime drops in lockdown, domestic violence risk climbs bnnbloomberg.ca/stuck-at-home-… #COVID19 #coronavirus

Reported domestic violence cases jumped 30% during lockdown in #France.

In #Paris alone, they were up 36%.

#COVID19 #coronavirus h/t @AchmatX

euronews.com/2020/03/28/dom…

In #Brazil:

“We think there has been a rise of 40% or 50%, and there was already really big demand,” said Adriana Mello, a Rio de Janeiro judge specialising in domestic violence.
google.com/amp/s/amp.theg… #COVID19 #coronavirus

The #Catalan regional government said that calls to its helpline had risen by 20% in the first few days of the confinement period.

In #Cyprus, calls to a similar hotline rose 30% in the week after 9 March, when the island had its first confirmed case of #coronavirus.

#COVID19

“Those alarming figures log only cases where women are able to seek help; many cannot make calls because they fear being overheard by abusive partners, or are stopped from leaving home.”

#COVID19 #coronavirus

In #Italy: calls to helplines dropped sharply; they were receiving desperate text messages & emails.

“One message was from a woman who had locked herself in the bathroom and wrote to ask for help... there is an overwhelming emergency right now...as women can’t go out.” #COVID19

In #Spain: the govt has told women they will not be fined if they leave home to report abuse.

On 19 March, the country saw first domestic violence fatality since the lockdown began 5 days earlier, when a woman was murdered by her husband in front of their children in #Valencia.

In #China, the number of domestic violence cases reported to the local police tripled in February compared to the previous year. Activists say this is a result of enforced lockdown. axios.com/china-domestic… #COVID19 #coronavirus

“The epidemic has had a huge impact on domestic violence,” Wan Fei, a retired police officer who founded a charity campaigning against abuse, told Sixth Tone website. “According to our statistics, 90% of the causes of violence [in this period] are related to #COVID19 epidemic”

'#COVID19 will slam the door shut': #Australia's family services brace for domestic violence spike theguardian.com/world/2020/mar… #coronavirus