年報 公共政策学 = Annals, public policy studies;第16号

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Living Under Covid-19 in Asia: Tackling the Challenges of the ‘Shadow Pandemic’ in Japan and Indonesia

Chi, Naomi;Pabyantara, Dias

Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/84845
KEYWORDS : COVID-19;Domestic violence;Abuse by intimate partner;Gender inequality;Gender roles;Patriarchy;Masculinity

Abstract

More than 400 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since its outbreak from the beginning of 2020. The pandemic has not only affected the way we live and work, but it has also brought about the spread of the “shadow pandemic”—domestic violence. Countries have tried to contain the virus in various ways, from governments encouraging people to “stay at home” and in some cases a severe “lockdown”. These strategies have had an unintended impact on the most basic social institution in society, the family, and has led to the increase in interpersonal violence at home. The World Health Organization has reported that there is an increase of domestic violence globally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In both Japan and Indonesia, where there are still considerable structural gender inequalities, together with the economic instability caused by the pandemic has led to the somber reality of higher incidences of not only domestic violence, but also child abuse and sexual exploitation. In this article, two authors that specialize in gender issues in Japan and Indonesia, respectively, will attempt to execute the following: 1) examine the current social and economic circumstances of the two societies under COVID-19, 2) analyze the various factors causing the increase in domestic violence and its long-term implications, 3) explore possible measures and policies to counter domestic violence and abuse attentive to the context of the ongoing crisis.

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