Calls to domestic violence hotlines soar amid lockdowns - WHO Europe

Calls to domestic violence hotlines soar amid lockdowns - WHO Europe

The stress and anxiety bred by weeks of restrictions on public life have made uncertainty, separation, and fear part of daily life for many, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said.

Calls to domestic violence hotlines in Europe are up by as much as three-fifths as alcohol and drug abuse combine with close confinement in coronavirus lockdowns to fuel abuse of the most vulnerable, the World Health Organization said on Thursday (May 7).

Kluge cited reports from many countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Russia, Spain and Britain of increases in violence against women and men by an intimate partner and against children because of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online enquiries to violence prevention hotlines had increased by up to five times, the agency said, calling the issue a global problem.

Hotels in France and Belgium have converted to shelters, and Greenland has limited the sale of alcohol to make homes safer for children.