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| COVID-19 AND THE RUPTURE OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE | | |
Dr. Parveen Kumar, Dr. D. Namgyal
At this writing, more than 30 lakh peoples across the globe have been found infected with the corona virus and over one lakh people have died of it. In India, more than 45,000 cases have been reported and more than 1000 have died. To prevent the worsening of the situation and to prevent the country from going to stage 3, a nationwide lock down was announced in the country first on March 25 for a three week period till April 14; then again the lockdown was extended till May 3 and now till May 17. There is no doubt that India had no choice other than the lockdown to avoid the colossal toll the virus could take on lives, or at least buy time as the country, with our poorly equipped and historically underfunded health system, prepares to face it. The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the societies of the most unequal world. It has led to a rupture of the social structure too.
Social distancing is so far the most effective means of controlling the spread of this virus and the one that is being advocated to maintain. Staying indoors is the only control measure to avoid getting infected by the virus. Indian efforts to contain the spread of the virus have been acclaimed and acknowledge by many other countries of the world and by many national as well as international agencies. The oxford university has given the country 100 per cent points for its timely covid-19 measures. Besides handling its own situation effectively, the country has been sending medicines to other countries on a humanitarian basis.
Human beings are social animals. We all live in a society. What we do, how we behave and how we react to different situation has a bearing on the social fabric as well as the social structure of the country. This pandemic too has also affected the social structure of the society. It has differential effects on the gender, age, education, kinships, social cohesion and different patterns of social interaction. It would not be wrong to say that COVID-19 has ruptured the social structure at least in some cases. Social distancing, it seems to be hitting people even more than the scare of the deadly virus. In spite of media connectivity, peoples are getting highly restive and agitated.
Masses of people trapped in fear and uncertainty, many of them high on anxiety, depression and frustration has lead to a volcanic situation which can be triggered off with any little provocation. Things can be done more easily in India where communal card can be played easily which could further flare up into racial hatred and violence which will rip apart the secular fibre of our country.
The violence against women is another worrisome aspect of this corona outbreak. The recent report of the United Nations regarding women is an eye opener for all of us. The report titled COVID 19 and ending violence against women and girls has reported that since the outbreak of COVID-19 violence against women and particularly domestic violence has increase manifold in many countries. In France case of domestic violence has increased by about 30 per cent since lockdown on March 17. Such cases have also been reported from countries such as Canada, Argentina, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. In Argentina, emergency calls for domestic violence cases have increased by 25 per cent since lockdown (The Tribune). In India too, the condition is more or less the same. The National commission for Women has recorded a more than two fold rise in gender based violence n the national lockdown period. The total complaints from women rose from 116 in the first week of March to 257 in the final week of March (NCW). This is perhaps men at home take out all their frustration on their wives. Salary cuts, joblessness and sitting home idle have already put these men on the edge and feeling frustrated, they find no better person than their wives to take out all their frustration.
This social values and the social system are under threat. Humanity has touched a new low when the members of the family are refusing to perform the last rites of their family member who died of corona virus. Can anyone would have ever imagined that a son will not take the dead body of his father or mother for his or her last rites. Ultimately the administration had too performs the last rites of the dead. This has taken the form of untouchability and became more of a social stigma. It would not be wrong to say that in the near future this may lead to a social boycott of the family whose any one member if found corona positive. The lockdown has closed all the educational institutes. Across the globe more than one billion youth are now no longer present physically in school. Although efforts are on to provide them online education, but given the usage of smart phones in village settings the desirable results will not be obtained. This would ultimately result in the compromise with quality of education. The vulnerable youth such as homeless or migratory will face a precarious situations. They are the ones who can easily be changed from a constructive to a destructive mode by motivating them towards addiction and liquor consumption unless and until the government do not pay specific attention to them. Fear is that if not properly addressed through appropriate measures, this social crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic may also increase inequality, exclusion, discrimination and global unemployment in the medium and long term. The United Nations Secretary-General has rightly remarked that, ‘we must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable – millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves. This is a matter of basic human solidarity. It is also crucial for combating the virus. This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable. |
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