Domestic violence is on the rise globally as women around the world are trapped with their abusive partners, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2020) Domestic violence is on the rise globally as women around the world are trapped with their abusive partners, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
"We know lockdowns and quarantines are essential to suppressing COVID-19. But they can trap women with abusive partners. Over the past week as economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying global surge in domestic violence," Guterres said late Sunday in a video address posted on Twitter.
According to Guterres, the number of women calling support services has doubled "in some countries."
The UN chief called on governments around the world to take measures against domestic violence amid the health crisis, including setting up emergency warnings in grocery shops and pharmacies.
Domestic violence has surged due to lockdowns imposed in many countries, as police and health care workers are already overwhelmed and understaffed, and domestic violence shelters either full or closed, Guterres added. Amid the global trend of self-isolation and social distancing, the UN secretary-general said that COVID-19 should be confronted everywhere, from war-zones to "people's homes."
According� to Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.2 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with nearly 70,000 related fatalities
