Parth Shastri | TNN | Updated: Jan 6, 2021, 08:26 IST
AHMEDABAD: Before Covid-19 struck, families longed for some quality time together. Then, lockdown happened. While many had to adjust to work from home (WFH) as the new normal, several lost their livelihood and were forced to remain at home. This forced proximity gave rise to several relationship issues, as recorded by the trends of Abhayam 181 calls for 2020.
While the call volume increased by 18% for domestic violence and 27% for marital issues, experts point out that it could well be the tip of the iceberg. They believe there are several couples that either did not have access to such remedies, or did not wish to approach any formal agency for their issues.
Technology played a major role in deciding inter-personal relationships during the pandemic, said Dr Hansal Bhachech, a city-based psychiatrist. “Digital screen consumption increased manifold – both for work and leisure. It inadvertently caused an overlap or even eavesdropping that resulted in marital issues,” he said. “The parents also were often critical of their children’s choices of OTT content or the excessive time they spent staring at the screens, resulting in verbal spats.”
Out of 1.36 lakh calls received during 2020, 44% were received from five districts alone. Head-wise, 41% of the calls were for domestic violence – which reported 18% rise compared to 2019.
