The Covid-19 pandemic is not only targeting public health. The crisis situation due to the pandemic also gave rise to domestic violence and the economic downturn in the family.
When she decided to get married, IVN, 31, hoped to live a happy life with her husband. However, the dream foundered when her husband began to be rude, then beat her when he was angry. For the sake of their children, she tried to maintain their marriage.
However, after 15 years, IVN finally decided to separate from her husband. The mother of three children was no longer able to maintain the marriage. In mid-March 2020, when people were told to stay at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the woman from one of the villages in Keterongan district, Jombang, East Java, filed for divorce.
"I was tired. Since dating through to marriage, he cheated. He was very rude, not only using harsh words but he also often hit me. [When] our first child was only 2 years old, my head was beaten and got swollen. I was once dragged, my hands were twisted," IVN said when contacted from Jakarta on Thursday (14/05/2020).
I was tired. Since dating through to marriage, he cheated.
Despite years of domestic violence, IVN initially tried to maintain her marriage because her children were still small and hoped her husband would someday change. However, that never happened.
Later her children saw firsthand the domestic violence committed by her husband. In fact, her two children had been kicked by her husband. "I sometimes think why I stay when I get such treatment. But, I still survive because I feel sorry for the children, especially the small ones. He always asks about his father," she said.
Last March was the peak of the quarrel between IVN and her husband when they were unable to pay the loan from the bank. After asking her husband when he would pay the debt, IVN again became a victim of domestic violence.
No longer able to deal with her husband\'s behavior, IVN finally told him to leave her parents\' house and filed for divorce. In the midst of the epidemic, IVN awaited a court ruling and was ready to support the family alone.
KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI
People wait for a bus at Poris Plawad Terminal in Tangerang municipality, Banten, on 22 April 2020. People chose to participate in the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) early before the ban took place on Friday (24/4/2020). The mudik ban, which aims to curb the spread of COVID-19, also took place in cities enforcing large-scale social restrictions.
Revenue decreased
The Covid-19 epidemic also caused a number of families to see their incomes decrease. They must find ways to fulfill their daily needs.
Covid-19 has also forced Mimi, 48, to halt her daily routine, selling cakes and snacks. Before the Islamic fasting month, every morning Mimi sold cakes in Serpong, Tangerang, Banten. However, after the disease caused by the novel coronavirus spread, she chose to obey government regulations by staying at home and limiting outside activities.
However, as a result, Mimi lost her daily income of about Rp 50,000-Rp 80,000. In fact, she was the backbone of the family after her husband retired from work. "Indeed, there are several of my friends who still sell on the roadside, but I don\'t want to take risks. Health is more important. When it comes to sustenance, I\'m sure God has prepared it," she said.
Due to a lack of daily income, for nearly the last two months, Mimi spent her savings to support her daily needs. "Food spending must be reduced. Tofu and tempeh is an option so that I can save and pay for other needs," she said.
Meanwhile, Mastul Hidayati, a teacher at a preschool (PAUD) in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, said that she used to sell snacks to earn additional income because her teaching salary was very small. However, once the social restrictions policy was imposed, she could no longer sell snacks.
"After our house was hit by an earthquake two years ago, we have not received rehabilitation assistance from the government. This epidemic is adding to our economic burden. However, I am still trying to teaching students as best I can," she said.
AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY
People search for their belongings through the rubble of damaged houses in Menggala, north Lombok on August 8, 2018, three days after the area was hit by an earthquake. More than 70,000 people left homeless by a deadly earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok are sleeping in makeshift shelters and lack food, medicine and clean water.
Kurniawan Catur, a preschool teacher in Central Jakarta, said that as the breadwinner for his family, he used to perform as a clown or a storyteller at children\'s birthday parties to earn extra income.
However, since February 2020, all bookings for clown performance and storyteller services have been cancelled. In addition, the preschool where he worked began to suspend in-class sessions and replace them with distance learning.
"I pray and stay patient. I ask my wife and children to see this current condition as a test," said Kurniawan.
Monisa, a pre-school teacher in Kubu Raya regency, West Kalimantan, realized that the Covid-19 epidemic had made it difficult for many families to buy food. She also saw her salary slashed because the parents of her students were no longer able to pay school fees. In fact, her salary as a pre-school teacher since 2006 was always below the minimum wage. Now, the only hope is the operational assistance grants (BOP) for the school from the government.
I pray and stay patient. I ask my wife and children to see this current condition as a test.
Education and Culture Ministry Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education pre-school director Muhammadiyah Hasbi said the ministry continued to appeal to regional administrations to disburse the grant to the preschool immediately. He has coordinated with the education agencies and sent a letter to the regents and mayors so that the pre-school grants already transferred to the regions’ bank accounts would be immediately disbursed to the preschools.
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