Marlene Lufen: "I don't know if the lockdown is correct"

Marlene Lufen
Flaming appeal: "I don't know if the lockdown is correct"

© Joshua Sammer / Getty Images

For 14 minutes, Marlene Lufen speaks in her latest Instagram video about a topic that is not only important to her, but apparently also to many others. The journalist finds words that get under your skin. In her flaming video message, she questions the corona-related lockdown and points out its consequences.

Domestic violence, anorexia, depression – the consequences of the corona lockdown are much more dramatic than many are aware. Moderator and journalist Marlene Lufen, 50, dares to talk about it in an IGTV. She knows that anyone who approaches the issue with a critical stance will be labeled as a "Trump voter" or "in the direction of Michael Wendler" and a "conspiracy theoretician". It is not all of that. Yet she talks about it because it is a matter close to her heart.

Marlene Lufen did the research

She did a lot of research for her video and spoke to various authorities, including the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, the Association of Youth Psychotherapists, the Berlin Charité Clinic for Violence, the Cologne University Hospital, the German Alzheimer's Society, the Addiction Association and the Child Protection Association. All representatives reacted in a similar way to their inquiry: "The situation is a catastrophe for our patients, but that is not seen enough."

In order to make this "catastrophe" a little more visible, to draw attention to it, Marlene put together her video.

She begins her address with clear words: "I have this great worry and it is so exhausting that I haven't slept well for a long time.

I have a feeling that in two or three years we will look back at this time and that we think we did it wrong. That this lockdown was the wrong thing we could have done. At least for such a long period of time. Because even in a pandemic people have depression, people have addictions, cardiovascular problems, violence in the family and other problems that can also lead to death. That is not taken into account.

"We also have to know these numbers"

Marlene Lufen puts her video under the title "We must also know these numbers". Because all the numbers that we have heard in the last few months deal with the virus. We know incidence values, mortality rates and numbers of infected people – but we don't know what goes on outside of these numbers. How does the month-long lockdown affect children, families, people with mental illnesses? How do people, whose existence is threatened, experience the strict regulations? "Who is calculating that? I want us to deal with these numbers," demands Marlene Lufen.

Make the suffering of the lockdown visible

Marlene Lufen's aim is to make the suffering of the lockdown visible. She demands: "I want us to deal with the numbers." Because they are terrifying. "23% more cases of violence against children in the violence clinic of the Charité in the first half of 2020", writes the journalist in the text of her video. "461,000 children voted for 'Number Against Kummer' in 2020. Online counseling alone had an increase of 31% over the previous year. This 31% corresponds to 10,428 contacts made by children and young people in need more than usual. Those dramatic cases must be thought about and discussed. Because "Children are left to their own devices, they simply don't have a lobby," says the 50-year-old, who continues with her shocking figures: "The 'violence against women helpline' has seen a surge in consultations of 15-20% since April 2020 . 67% of young people between 18 and 24 currently feel mentally stressed above average. " Again and again Marlene Lufen fights back tears and is visibly touched.

Worry about her mother too

In her own private environment she also had to experience the suffering of the lockdown, says Marlene. "My mom has been sitting at home for 10 months and thinks it's right. I notice a very dramatic situation. I don't know whether it's right that single old people are left so alone."

Great approval on the net

Marlene Lufen's video has now been viewed over two million times, and there are heaps of approving comments – including from celebrity colleagues. Many share the clip, give hearts and show solidarity with the journalist.

Source used: instagram.com

This article originally appeared on Gala.de.

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