Doctor’s Note: How can we help victims of abuse during lockdown? – By Dr Punam Krishan (Al Jazeera) / May 17 2020
Coronavirus has forced many victims of violence to be locked in with their abusers, with nowhere to go to for respite.
“Stay home, stay safe, save lives.” This is the motto being used by the United Kingdom’s government to make us do our bit to get through the lockdown.
But what if staying at home wasn’t safe and was potentially a far worse outcome for you than contracting COVID-19?
For many, lockdown came as a relief. It was a necessary measure taken to protect us and to try and control the spread of this pandemic. For a significant number of people, however, the lockdown has brought more misery to their lives.
In the UK, calls to national domestic abuse helplines have risen by 49 percent in the last six weeks. This has been mirrored across Europe; France showed a 30 percent increase, and Spain saw an 18 percent increase in calls during the first two weeks of lockdown. In Wuhan, China a police station reported a 300 percent increase in calls during the height of the crisis there. This is alarming.
As a general practitioner (GP), I see many cases of domestic abuse. It is never stated as the reason a patient comes in to see me, of course, but rather something I tease out during a consultation.
Often patients will attend with a common ailment and it is only when I have gone to examine them that I find evidence suggestive of abuse.
Continue to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/doctor-note-victims-abuse-lockdown-200505092801862.html
