Amid COVID-19 lockdown, 16 rape cases and 64 incidents of molestations were reported from Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. (UT).
Taking a suo-moto notice of the negative impact of the lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls, a Coram consisting of Chief Justice, Justice Geeta Mittal and Justice Rajnesh Oswal had recently issued notices to J&K government and asked it to submit a report with regard to the steps taken regarding domestic or any other kind of violence being faced by women.
A report submitted by the state government in the Court revealed that 16 cases of rape, 64 cases of molestation and one case of eve-teasing have been reported in J&K during the lockdown period.
It further said that as many as 1314 calls have been received from the affected persons on the emergency number 181 from March 24 to April 24, out of which 65 were related to violence against women.
“The remaining 956 calls were reported by migrant labourers, who were in distress on account of the lockdown,” it said.
As per the government, Rs 10 lakh for each district of UT of J&K has been sanctioned out of SDRF fund for COVID-19 containment for victims of domestic violence for providing temporary accommodation, food clothing and medical care.
The High Court directed the government to consider notifying appropriate spaces so that women in difficulty have easy access to them. The Court also directed the Department of Social Welfare and member State Legal Services Authority examine the requirements and steps necessary to mitigate the complaints and difficulties of victims of elderly abuse; child violence; violence against disabled and transgenders in the UTs of J&K as well as Ladakh.
Last week former chairperson J&K women’s commission Vasundhra Phatak Masoodi had said that she was getting a lot of distress calls from women from the Valley complaining about domestic violence amid lockdown.