As Puerto Rico was trying to curb the spread of COVID19 and the population was placed on multiple lockdowns, forcing residents to stay at home the domestic violence rate has risen 37% from an already staggering number in years prior.
In Puerto Rico, 65% of femicides in 2019 occurred in the victim’s residence. The home, if you share it with your abuser, turns into a place of risk.
According to the World Health Organization, globally, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence. During times of humanitarian emergencies, the risk of gender-based violence grows due to increased stress and feelings of powerlessness, scarcity of basic provisions and destruction of social networks.
If a woman has a bruise and has to go to work, that renders visibility and causes an alarm to the issue at hand. By being confined to the house, the possibility of abuse being visible reduces and the security risk increases.