Recommendations Emerging from the Town Hall on Another Pandemic - Domestic Violence There is a need for targetted messaging from the topmost levels of the National Government on the issue of domestic violence. This needs to go out to everyone through public broadcast channels like TV and radio. Service providers working on cases of domestic violence need to be recognised as essential services by the Government. NGOs shared that it was becoming very difficult for them to respond to cases due to lockdown measures. Government machineries like One Stop Centres etc and NGOs providing support on domestic violence must be strengthened to provide full support and must have the additional requirements like protective gear, safe transport and access to the survivors. All Covid 19 measures must be gender responsive. The recent incident of a woman migrant worker dying because of facing sexual abuse in an isolation ward in Gaya district, where she had been kept because she was suspected to be posi- tive for Covid 19 is a glaring example of how the current response to Covid 19 is missing a gender lens. There is a need for messaging from the central government to the state govern- ments to support and encourage state level work on addressing domestic violence. We have seen state governments like Kerala and West Bengal announce helplines for domestic violence and put out advertisements. This and more needs to happen across other states too. Strong steps need to be taken against the relaxation of the PCPNDT rules. Report- ing has been relaxed till June 30th. The rationale is not clear. This should not become blanket permission to conduct sex selection tests. Sexual and Reproductive Health services and commodities should be declared as essential. During the lockdown a lot of women are being subjected to unprotect- ed, forced sex. Women are at a high risk of getting infections. Service like abortion is not available. Commodities like condoms and sanitary products are not avail- able. Information for pregnant women about their health and safety in the context of Covid 19 must be made available and shared widely. Alternatives to shelter homes need to be explored or if we can move the perpetra- tor out of their homes, leaving the women and children. For example: Some coun- tries have hotels and hostels acting as shelter homes. Clear guidelines for shelter homes for taking in survivors of domestic violence are also required. Currently, they are not clear about what to do. An example one organisation shared was about a shelter home asking the NGO to confirm that the woman was not a corona virus carrier. Both the NGO and the shelter home did not know how to tackle the issue. Higher judiciary can be made cognizant of the situation on the ground. This can help in roping in and mobilizing DLSAs. ASHA and AWW can share information about existing services on DV to the women in their communities. Protection officers are burdened with Covid 19 responsibilities. They should be removed from these duties so that they can focus on responding to domestic violence cases. Multiple instances of protection officers not being responsive due to being burdened by Covid 19 responsibilities were shared by NGOs. Medico legal reports are not being prepared because of which there is a delay in filing of FIRs. This was shared during the discussion by a participant and many confirmed that this was happening. Systemic response from authorities like police not uniform. Some places they are responsive, some places they are not. For the long term, women’s rights groups need to collecitivise and come up with feminist recommendations to the Disaster Management Act. Men's groups can put out messaging for men. www.inbreakthrough.org +91-11-41666101-06 | contact@breakthrough.tv Plot 3, DDA Community Centre, Zamrudpur, New Delhi, Delhi - 110048 Breakthrough India @