Domestic Violence and COVID-19: Literature Review

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More than a year has passed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world is learning how to live in times of lockdowns and strict health safety regulations. However, the novel pandemic brought multiple challenges on social and economic levels, and sometimes those challenges were mutually related. Home isolation intended to curb COVID-19 brought unexpected side effects, and domestic violence became one of the most prominent. Therefore, the search parameters for this assignment included sources, which reflected the global impact of and anti-pandemic measures on the domestic violence situation.

The “stay safe, stay at home” mantra used by the governments and public health organizations was the opposite of safety for the victims of domestic violence. At the beginning of the pandemic, Anurudran et al. (2020) pointed to the risk of women’s exposure to domestic violence and urged to support those vulnerable to it. Their manuscript called for international organizations to come together and mobilize resources to address the problem. In that regard, the contradiction between staying at home and being in safety was highlighted in the beginning stage of the pandemic.

Some researchers admitted the importance of early anti-COVID-19 measures for the protection of health systems. Nevertheless, they also admitted the unintended negative consequences, such as isolation, loneliness, and emotional stress. For instance, Bradbury-Jones and Isham (2020) noted that women, already disproportionally affected by domestic violence, suffer even more in times of pandemics. They supported that claim with data from Brazil, Cyprus, Spain, and the UK, which registered an alarming rise in calls to domestic violence helplines (Bradbury-Jones & Isham, 2020). Overall, staying at home was considered important, but not at the cost of neglecting potentially vulnerable groups such as women and children.

The increase in domestic violence rates in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic became an international trend. In the case of the USA, Leslie and Wilson (2020) revealed a 7,5% increase in domestic violence service calls in the first 12 weeks of social distancing. Moreover, in the first 5 weeks after the introduction of the anti-COVID measures, the calls increased by almost 10% (Leslie & Wilson, 2020). It should also be stressed that the increase was registered in reported cases. During the strict lockdown, a potential abuser has a better ability to control the victim and prevent the report. Therefore, the actual surge of domestic violence and the scale of the problem could have been well underestimated.

The spread of domestic violence took an especially significant place in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. According to World Health Organization (2021), the initial information from two countries in the region reported a 50-60% increase in women’s calls for help. The Eastern Mediterranean Region had a second-highest 37% prevalence of violence against women even before the pandemic (World Health Organization, 2021). The following disruption of social and protective services caused by COVID-19 and related economic hardships made the already bad situation worse.

The initial studies revealed a steady pattern of increase in domestic violence cases after the introduction of anti-COVID measures. Boserup et al. (2020) went a bit further and provided the possible reasons behind it. Harmful social and psychological factors such as unemployment, economic strain, quarantine-related depression, post-traumatic stress, and alcohol abuse exposed or worsened preexisting vulnerabilities (Boserup et al., 2020). In the end, stay-at-home policies implemented in various American states might have created a worst-case scenario for many households.

Domestic violence has a particular branch called intimate partner violence or IPV. Women typically experience it, but about one-third of men also experienced it to some extent (Mazza et al., 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic locked down whole families, forcing intimate partners to spend much more time together than previously. According to Mazza et al. (2020), these circumstances could have provoked IPV since people had no chance to leave their abusive partners due to COVID-related restrictions or economic reasons. In some cases, psychological pressure related to lockdown could breed violence even in what used to be normal relationships.

In terms of loss of life and economic damage, the COVID-19 pandemic has already surpassed a catastrophic natural disaster, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. However, the related stress and economic strain it is even bigger than in the case of natural disaster. Kofman and Garfin (2020) claimed that COVID-19 puts victims of domestic violence before a unique and distressing paradox. On the one hand, they risk becoming a victim of violence if they stay at home. On the other hand, leaving the seclusion exposes them to a dangerous virus. The choice between these alternatives is hard, to say the least, and the guidelines are unclear.

Eventually, the lockdowns would end, as the vaccination campaigns are going on across the world. By now, COVID-19 spreads in waves, and the lifting of restrictions is sometimes followed by their return in action. Therefore, governments and health organizations should focus on preventing old mistakes from happening. Taub (2020) observed the same path of imposing lockdowns without making sufficient provisions for domestic abuse victims. That approach must change in order to provide better care for the victims.

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the worldwide rise of domestic violence cases. Women and children suffered more, as usually happens with that type of abuse. Lockdowns provided a necessary experience of how to react in such situations. Protection of public safety should not come at the cost of forgetting about other spheres, like protection against domestic violence. Hopefully, events like the COVID-19 pandemic will not occur in the foreseeable future, and that experience will remain theoretical.

References

Anurudran, A., Yared, L., Comrie, C., Harrison, K., & Burke, T. (2020). Domestic violence amid COVID‐19. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 150(2), 255-256. Web.

Boserup, B., McKenney, M., & Elkbuli, A. (2020). Alarming trends in US domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 38(12), 2753-2755. Web.

Bradbury‐Jones, C., & Isham, L. (2020). The pandemic paradox: The consequences of COVID‐19 on domestic violence. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(13-14), 2047-2049. Web.

Kofman, Y. B., & Garfin, D. R. (2020). Home is not always a haven: The domestic violence crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(1), 199-201. Web.

Leslie, E., & Wilson, R. (2020). Sheltering in place and domestic violence: Evidence from calls for service during COVID-19. Journal of Public Economics, 189, 104241. Web.

Mazza, M., Marano, G., Lai, C., Janiri, L., & Sani, G. (2020). Danger in danger: Interpersonal violence during COVID-19 quarantine. Psychiatry Research, 289, 113046. Web.

Taub, A. (2020). A new Covid-19 crisis: Domestic abuse rises worldwide. The New York Times. Web.

World Health Organization. (2021). Violence, injuries and disability. Web.

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Domestic Violence and COVID-19: Literature Review

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