Spain's gender violence hotline sees sharp rise in calls under lockdown

The country is among the worst affected by the pandemic

'For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest. In their own homes,' UN head Antonio Gutteres. AP

Calls to Spain's government helpline for victims of gender violence shot up in the first two weeks of a lockdown imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus, the government said on Wednesday.

Calls increased by 12.4 per cent in the first two weeks of the lockdown compared with the same fortnight last year, while online consultations of the helpline's website grew by 270 per cent, Spain's Ministry of Equality said.

Activists say there has been an increase in reports of domestic violence in countries across the world as those at risk are forced to self-isolate with their abusers due to the pandemic.

In Hubei province, at the heart of the outbreak in China, domestic violence reports to police increased from 47 in February last year to 162 this year, activists told local media.

The French government announced an extra €1 million (Dh4m) to fund anti-domestic abuse organisations as they respond to an increased demand for services during the crisis.

The initiatives were launched after the government said last week that reports of domestic abuse to police had jumped by 36 per cent in Paris and 32 per cent elsewhere in France after the restrictions came into force.

The cases included two murders.

Spain, like many other nations, has introduced stringent curbs on people's movement outside their homes to help halt the spread of coronavirus.

Spain is among the countries worst affected by the pandemic, with more than 9,000 deaths as of Wednesday.

Worried about a rise in violence against women with people stuck at home, the country's government has started a campaign to encourage women to call the helpline.

"We're here for you," said one poster, with the helpline's number 016.

While most workers need to stay at home, the government said all services to help women victims of domestic violence would remain open.

On Tuesday, it said victims of gender violence and their children would be housed in hotels if there was no room at centres where they could normally stay in an emergency.

In Australia, additional funding has been allocated to tackle domestic violence after the government said there was a 75 per cent surge in Google searches for help during the nationwide shutdown of non-essential services to help curb the spread of the virus.