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U.K. Is Warned 1.5 Million Women at Risk of Virus Lockdown Violence

They risk domestic abuse and even murder if the U.K. imposes a blanket ban on citizens leaving homes, victims representatives said

(Bloomberg) --

More than 1.5 million women are at risk of domestic abuse and even murder if the U.K. imposes a blanket ban on citizens leaving their homes to prevent the spread of coronavirus, victims representatives said.

The warning came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to rule out imposing isolation and curfews on Britons if they fail to comply with guidance on avoiding social interaction. Images at the weekend showed Britons basking in the sunshine at seaside resorts and in the countryside, ignoring official advice to stay two meters apart.

“Women will die, it’s a terrifying situation. And children are placed under enormous risk too,” Jenny Beck, director of Beck Fitzgerald Limited, a family law firm, said in a telephone interview. In a strict lockdown, under which special permission is needed to leave the house, “certainly there need to be exceptions to allow people to make sure themselves and their families are safe.”

Some 1.6 million women were subjected to domestic abuse last year, according to Refuge, a domestic abuse charity. In the current crisis, where pubs, bars and restaurants are shut and socializing discouraged, people in abusive homes are under greater risk, the charity said.

“Lines of communication could be severely limited if women are unable to leave the home,” Refuge Chief Executive Sandra Horley said in a statement.

The mounting death toll from the coronavirus, rising from 177 on Friday to 303 on Monday morning, could put increased pressure on Johnson to announce a clamp down on public movement later. Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier told the BBC “nothing is off the table” when it comes to tackling the outbreak.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.