The United Nations is urging countries to protect women against domestic violence amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced people to self-isolate.
During this period, victims of abuse are susceptible to being trapped behind closed doors with their abusers.
Over the past weeks, the number of calls to helplines in Malaysia has increased compared with the same month last year.
Talian Kasih observed a 57 per cent increase in calls, while the Women’s Aid Organisation reported a 44 per cent increase in its hotline calls and WhatsApp inquiries from February to March 2020.
These numbers give some indication of the scale of the problem but may not be reflective as it can be difficult for the abused to report their cases or to seek help during this time.
One in three women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and it is one of the most chronically underreported crimes.
Stockholm syndrome provides an over-arching understanding of why victim-survivors of domestic abuse act and respond as they do.
It is essential that frontline workers have a good understanding of the impact and identify how this can be used in a training context to work more effectively with women living with domestic violence.
Stockholm syndrome is recognised as a psychological phenomenon where hostages identify and ally with their captors.
It is a protective/survival strategy and coping mechanism for victims of emotional and physical abuse that’s based on the level of fear, dependency and trauma.
While Stockholm syndrome is commonly associated with a hostage or kidnapping situation, it can apply to several other circumstances and relationships – abusive relationships, child abuse, sex trafficking trade, and even sports coaching.
Fear or terror might be most common in these situations, but some individuals begin to develop positive feelings towards their captor or abuser.
These responses include expressing love for the abusers, denying or minimising the abuse, blaming themselves, continuing to stay, returning after fleeing, hesitant to turn on their abuser, reluctant to initiate a restraining order and even refusing to press charges or testify after the abusers have been arrested.
Stockholm syndrome helps one understand behaviour in abused women, otherwise one tends to blame the victims for their abuse.
Unfortunately, the effects of victim-blaming are likely to be cyclical and cumulative.
Victim-blaming attitudes promote the development of Stockholm syndrome in abused women and may hinder their chances of leaving violent relationships.
Consider the effects of the general public sentiment towards abused women blaming her for staying with her abuser, when so many factors, including the public’s own reaction, serve to preclude her escaping an abusive relationship.
This is particularly true when these beliefs are held, expressed, and acted on by police officers, judges, prosecutors, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and friends to whom the woman might turn to for help.
Helpful interventions for abused women potentially suffering from Stockholm syndrome include reducing the abused woman’s isolation, facilitating the development of the escape plan, educating women about the syndrome, and providing information on the availability of resources.
Addressing the surge in domestic violence must be at the centre of all national plans on Covid-19 response.
That begins with our government. The Women and Family Development Ministry must lead the fight to protect women and girls from violence and adopt a zero-tolerance for domestic violence.
Every day we have the opportunity to examine our behaviours and beliefs for biases that permit domestic violence to continue.
Collectively, we can all inspire action to support our community by broadening our understanding about domestic violence culture and sparking or joining conversations on domestic violence to provide feedback, share and advocate solutions.
We hear you, we see you, we believe you.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
