The saddest reality of Covid-19 is abuse is more silent than ever

TV screens are filled with BREAKING stories daily of more shock and awe with what is happening on the coronavirus front.  We reach saturation point, but we can neither have too much of a rapidly unfolding situation that we need to stay abreast of, nor can we switch off from it.

All the while, perennial realities that occur in secrecy and in silence go on occurring ever more silently and secretly.

Whether it’s child abuse occurring in the home — sexual, emotional, physical, verbal, etc — or it’s children being taken advantage of over the internet, or it’s within a marriage, to name just three scenarios, it’s happening more prevalently than ever right now, because everyone is more interested in ‘other news’.

I’m wondering if, in an age of leaving rainbows or teddy bears outside a window, or chalk drawings on a driveway, how a person being abused could let passers-by know that they’re not safe.

Better perhaps if we know of people in tenuous situations to pray for them, especially if action to help them could endanger them.

The people who have been keeping a dark secret for a long time are now cooped up in situations where they cannot get away from the source of the tyranny they’re under.  How helpless it is for a partner who cannot get away, let alone a child who has no voice.

It does us well to notice the types of news stories that are not making the News bulletins at present because of Covid-19.  These very important and very newsworthy stories are still happening, but because they’re going under the radar right now, there is at least the perception that many travesties are unfolding without due action and concern.

Like the tweet that triggered this article:

“Meanwhile online abuser communities are mobilising to take advantage of the unprecedented presence of kids online. The dark web chatter is pretty grim.” (@mike_salter)

This is a horrifying thought.  Again, it goes right under the radar.

It’s like those actively working on the frontline of the #MeToo movement.  It’s as if these issues have been forgotten almost as quickly as the movement began.

There are many millions of people who are genuinely and routinely violated in every country on this planet.

The saddest reality right now is, while Covid-19 is on the spread — and that’s probably going to be sustained for months if not many months — there will be myriad travesties go unchecked.

So, it pays to be extra vigilant right now.  Let us not assume everything is well.  Perhaps our opportunity is more than ever to be a good neighbour.  More than ever, we can be our brother’s keeper.

Let’s not forget that one-in-four girls and one-in-six boys is abused.  Let’s not forget that the agency for crime is more prevalent than ever, given that the home is the scariest of places for some children.  Let’s not assume that because we’re mothers and fathers who are safe that our children are safe from online predators.  Let’s not assume that all is well, and that the only thing we need to worry about is social distancing so as not to spread the virus.

There is definitely cause to believe that for reasons other than I’ve cited here, that abuse is on the rise. Let’s not look away from this.

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash