Domestic violence against women has increased during the lockdown and the West Bengal commission for women’s rights has launched a helpline for the aggrieved.

The helpline, 9830947247, launched on Saturday is commission chairperson Leena Gangopadhyay’s phone number. “After getting a call, we are forwarding the complaint to the local police station… we have asked police to keep us posted about the action taken,” she said.

The entire country has seen a spurt in domestic violence in the past 23 days, Gangopadhyay told Metro.

But what is the trigger behind the surge? Ananya Chatterjee Chakraborti, the chairperson of West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said the trend was not surprising, given that the lockdown had added to stress among men. “The violence is an outcome of that.”

“During the lockdown, the perpetrator is present in the house 24X7. In normal circumstances, men are out in the workplace and wives don’t have to face them. Maybe after returning from work he would only have the energy to verbally abuse her. But now, he has all the time at his disposal and the added stress is making him more aggressive,” Chatterjee Chakraborti said.

What are the stress factors. It can be anything, starting from the fear of losing one’s job in this period of uncertainty to losing out on appraisal or a promotion that was in the offing, she said. “It can even be the fear of a pay cut, casting a shadow on the prospect of maintaining one’s lifestyle. As he lashes out, think of the situation of the woman who does not have a help to support her. Increased violence is being reported in the US as well,” Chatterjee Chakraborti said.

Anuradha Kapoor, director of Swayam, an NGO working on violence against women in Calcutta, has been instrumental behind the launch of the helpline.

“We have figures to suggest that in some places the offences increased by 20 per cent. In some areas, it rose by 10 per cent. And this violence is unfolding across the board,” said Kapoor who is also associated with Aman, a network of over 145 organisations and individuals across India working on violence against women with a special focus on domestic violence.

Swayam is the national secretariat of Aman. There are instances of women reporting violence through text messages instead of calling because the perpetrator is seated beside her, Kapoor said. “Just think of their plight. This led us to sending a communication to the national commission, which has contacted its state counterpart.”

The Kerala government on Saturday launched a WhatsApp number to report cases of domestic violence in the state, which has increased during the lockdown.