Trigger Warning: Descriptions of sexual abuse and violence against women
The deadly coronavirus has rapidly spread across the world and is a threat to the health and well-being of millions of people across the globe. Nonetheless, the pandemic has affected men and women differently. As the pandemic accelerates, its negative consequences disproportionately affect women and girls, deepening the pre-existing gender inequalities. Gender-based violence has increased exponentially during the lockdown. Reports of deeply unsettling cases of sexual abuse against patients undergoing treatment of COVID-19 have also surfaced.
In a harrowing case in Gaya (Bihar), a 25-year old woman tested positive for COVID was kept in the isolation ward, where she was sexually abused by a doctor for two successive nights. After testing negative, the she was sent home and eventually died of excessive bleeding.
Around mid-July, a 40-year-old woman patient was raped by a 25-year-old man at a quarantine centre in Panvel, Navi Mumbai. The man posed as a doctor, touched her inappropriately on the pretext of giving massage and then raped her in the washroom. In another disturbing case, involving a 20-year-old woman, who recently delivered a baby, was sexually assaulted in the isolation ward of a private hospital in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. She was ruthlessly molested by two hospital staffers who claimed to be doctors on the pretext of taking her urine and milk samples for testing. The woman could not make out their faces and identify if they were doctors or other hospital staff as they were wearing masks. There have been instances where both male and female patients have been admitted in the same isolation wards which raises questions about the privacy and safety of female patients.
Patients in isolation are often vulnerable. They experience stress, anxiety, discomfort and fear, and such incidents only make it worse for the patients to trust the doctors and healthcare workers. Moreover, face masks allow the perpetrators to hide their identity. This leads to patients feeling insecure as they are surrounded by the hospital staff in PPE kits whose identities they can’t confirm.
Healthcare workers are also vulnerable to violence. Violence against nurses is incredibly common but largely goes unreported. They often experience verbal abuse, harassment, emotional and physical violence from their superiors, patients and visitors. However, it seems that nurses choose their ethical obligation over their personal safety and become immune to such instances while caring for patients.
The above-mentioned incidents reflect the shortcomings of our healthcare system and depict the harsh realities of isolation wards and Intensive Care Units, which are considered as safe spaces for patients to recover. The causes and contributing factors that give rise to these forms of abuse and violence are the absence of systematic intervention, tendency to underreport, lack of safety measures and inadequate implementation of law and policy.
The healthcare system cannot overlook the protection of rights of patients under the garb of pandemic, as medical professionals being in positions of trust and authority, owe ethical responsibilities to their patients. Hence, it is imperative that hospitals and governments take appropriate measures and ensure strict compliance with the Prevention of Workplace Sexual Harassment Act, 2013 and address sexual harassment grievances in a timely manner. Also, the process of lodging FIRs and conducting inquiries must be eased to ensure convenience for the victim. The National Human Rights Commissions and National Commission for Women should play an active role by taking Suo moto cognizance of matters involving sexual abuse of patients and healthcare workers. Additionally, hospital staff should always wear an identification card which includes their name and other key details to make patients feel safer.
As world grapples with COVID-19, the fear of contracting a potentially life-threatening virus does not seem to deter the perpetrators of sexual abuse. In fact, violence against women is increasing at an alarming pace and in the light of recent incidents of sexual abuse against COVID-19 patients; it is pertinent to note that harsher punishments alone would not suffice to act as a deterrent because violence against women is pervasive and a deep-rooted social problem. We need a change in the mindset which must start at home, the classroom, and in the workplace. Gender sensitization by parents and teachers, addressing sexual harassment in schools, public awareness campaigns will help in altering attitudes towards gender norms before they become deeply rooted in children and youth. School, community, and media interventions can challenge gender stereotypes that give men the power over women. Because. No matter how many convicts are hanged, the deep-rooted misogyny persists and manifests in our society.