6 months of coronavirus lockdown could mean 31 million more cases of domestic violence, UN says

[Judi Lynn]

BY HALEY OTT

APRIL 28, 2020 / 12:01 AM / CBS NEWS

London — Six months of lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 could lead to 31 million additional cases of domestic violence globally, the United Nations warned Tuesday.

"It is a growing crisis within the crisis. We need to pay maximum attention to this now," Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, told CBS News.

In a paper using data from Johns Hopkins University, Avenir Health, and Victoria University in Australia, the UNFPA predicted that if strict lockdowns continue for a year, there will be an additional 61 million cases of domestic abuse above what would have already been expected to occur.

"It's truly disturbing. And if we don't do anything about it — if we don't talk about it, if we don't ring the alarm bell — every three months there will be an additional 15 million cases," Alakbarov said.

More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-lockdown-domestic-violence-united-nations/

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[Judi Lynn]

2. It just occurred to me this could sound like a creepy reason to prematurely end the lockdown. Wrong!

Didn't think of it until a couple of hours later. It would be dead wrong to discourage people from staying safe and protecting others as the lockdown intends.

A better idea would be to warn people they should feel some urgency to back away from conflicted emotional encounters during this time!