‘Depression, anxiety plague 8 out of 10 domestic violence survivors’

Mumbai: Almost 87% of the women facing domestic violence during the pandemic years were mildly or severely depressed, according to the data released by NGO SNEHA (Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action) that helped 7,000 survivors in this period.

Around 81% of them also suffered from mild to severe anxiety, said SNEHA’s director Dr Nayreen Daruwalla on Thursday. These women had approached SNEHA’s centres in Dharavi, Parel, Govandi, Mankhurd, Malvani, Wadala and Kurla. “About 7% of these women were severely depressed and could be helped with medication, but it is ones who have mild to moderate depression who need to be identified and helped effectively,” said Dr Daruwalla.
Towards this end, SNEHA, along with the Violence and Mental Health South Asia Global Health Research Group (VAHMSA), has set up a web interface, Garima, to provide mental health support for survivors of gender-based violence in the South Asia region.

National Commission for Women’s member secretary Meeta Rajivlochan inaugurated Garima at a three day symposium held at Y B Chavan Centre in Nariman Point on Thursday. “Gender-based violence is a serious issue. The National Family Health Survey 5 found that 32% of the women suffer violence, either emotional, sexual or physical,” Rajivlochan said.

The Garima package of care is essentially a web interface that can be accessed globally. It has a combination of text, videos and illustrations that address the mental health of women survivors of violence. “We have to make sure this package of care reaches more women,” said Rajivlochan.

Experts at the symposium said that gendered forms of violence triple the risks of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thinking. “Addressing these conditions in resource-constrained settings requires combined mental health, social, and institutional responses. Garima will be a shot in the arm for professionals working with survivors of gender-based violence,” said Dr Daruwalla.