Domestic abuse rockets in lockdown London: mayor

2021-03-08 16:35:33 GMT2021-03-09 00:35:33(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

LONDON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- There has been a very concerning increase in domestic abuse over last year, with calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline growing by 49 percent in the three weeks after the first lockdown on March 23, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Monday.

Publishing a new City Hall analysis on the occasion of the International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, Khan said the Metropolitan Police also recorded a 6 percent increase in domestic abuse offences between March 2020 to December 2020 -- compared to the same period in 2019.

In 2020 as a whole, more than 94,500 domestic abuse offences were recorded, he said in the analysis.

The new study also shows women in London are more likely than men to be unemployed or economically inactive, and were more likely to have had their working hours reduced or been placed on furlough earlier in the pandemic.

"On International Women's Day, as we reflect on the impact the pandemic has had on women's lives, I am deeply worried about the long-term impact the COVID-19 crisis will have on levels of domestic abuse. We know that the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic increase the vulnerability of women to domestic abuse," said London Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Sophie Linden.

Also on Monday, millions of children returned to schools across England under phase one of the British government's "roadmap" to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Feb. 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown. The reopening of schools in England from Monday is the first part of the four-step plan.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem

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