Violence against women during covid-19 pandemic restrictions

TLDR

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, reports and media coverage indicate a surge in intimate partner violence, a pattern consistent with past crises that heighten abuse risk, especially as stay‑at‑home orders expose women and children to greater danger, with 30 % of women experiencing such violence over their lifetimes. The study calls for urgent measures to mitigate the heightened risk of violence against women and children under pandemic restrictions. Data from China and the UK show a dramatic rise in domestic violence during COVID‑19, with Jianli County reporting a three‑fold increase in cases—90 % linked to the pandemic—and UK abuse‑death rates more than doubling during the early lockdown period.

Abstract

As the covid-19 pandemic intensifies, its gendered effects have begun to gain attention.Though data are scarce, media coverage and reports from organisations that respond to violence against women reveal an alarming picture of increased reports of intimate partner violence during this outbreak, including partners using physical distancing measures to further isolate affected women from resources. 1 2 In Jianli County, Hubei province of China, a police department reported a tripling of domestic violence cases in February 2020 compared with February 2019, estimating that 90% were related to the covid-19 epidemic. 3In the UK, a project tracking violence against women noted that deaths from domestic abuse between 23 March and 12 April had more than doubled (to 16 deaths) compared with the average rate in the previous 10 years. 4ese reports are disturbing yet predictable.Globally, 30% of women experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 5Such violence can increase during humanitarian crises, including conflict and natural disasters. 6he gendered impacts of infectious disease epidemics are less understood and acknowledged.Past epidemics, including Ebola 7 and Zika, 8 suggest violence against women may shift in nature and scale as outbreaks affect social and economic life. 9Half of the world's population is being asked to stay at home to slow the spread of covid-19. 10 For women already in abusive relationships, or at risk of such abuse, staying at home increases their risk of intimate partner violence.Children may also be exposed to intimate partner violence or be abused themselves. 11Urgent steps must be taken to address the risks of violence faced by women and children during pandemic restrictions.