Head of the Department of Psychology, European University of Lefke (EUL) Faculty of Arts and Sciences Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zihniye Okray made a statement on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day.

“Covid-19 increased the violence against women pandemic”

Okray said, “As every year, we celebrate 8 March International Women’s Day with various events and inform about women’s struggles for equal rights and the rights gained”, said Okray, and the Covid-19 pandemic that spread from China to the whole world in December 2019 expressed that it adversely affected women, children, the elderly and individuals with a specific disabilityOkray said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has not only triggered a fight against the virus, but also another pandemic caused by the Pandemic. This has reached a size that can be defined as a violence against women pandemic. In other words, covid-19 has gained a dimension that increases the pandemic of violence against women and can be described as syndemia, ” she said.

In the continuation of Okray’s statement she stated that “With the Covid-19 Pandemic, especially the increases in domestic violence against women have started to be revealed by scientific research all over the world. The Covid-19 pandemic has extended the time family members spend in the home, and verbal violence has become unbearable in many families. “The economic difficulties created by the pandemic, the uncertainty about the future, the responsibilities imposed on the women in the house have increased and women have become more exhausted in this process as always”

“Within the framework of the measures taken due to the pandemic, the workload of women increased too much”

Okray stated that women’s work from home within the framework of the measures taken due to the pandemic has increased both their work-related responsibilities and their domestic responsibilities, and that the closure of schools due to the pandemic also causes children to take on responsibilities such as lessons and homework, and that women do their own jobs in a small area, He drew attention to the fact that they had to meet the household needs and other needs of family members, which increased their workload too much.

Okray: I wish a non-violent world not only for women but for all people

Okray said, “Women with a history of domestic violence had to share the same environment with the perpetrator for longer periods, and this increased the frequency and severity of their exposure to violence. In various countries around the world, different practices have been put in place so that women who have been subjected to domestic violence during the closure and quarantine process can access help. For example, the fact that women who were subjected to domestic violence in Italy reported that they were subjected to violence through an application caused a decrease in the cases of violence against women during the pandemic period in Italy ”.

Finally Okray said “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the lives of every individual living on Earth and made it inevitable for us to take new measures within the framework of these new normal. “Our wishes for a non-violent world not only for women but for all people have gained much more importance in this period”.