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IS THE COVID-19 INCREASING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Is The Covid-19 Increasing The Domestic Violence?

Julia Mara Carrumba

International Language Academy of Canada

Is The Covid-19 Increasing The Domestic Violence?

The implementation of lockdown was one of many ways that the

government found to prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, with the stay-home

policy was possible to observe an increase in domestic violence cases. This

phenomenon is the result of many changes that people are experimenting with within

their lives, more exactly in the social, financial and mental spheres.

Research realized by UN Women brings data from 13 different countries

and all of them tell the same thing, 2 in 3 women suffered or know someone who

suffers domestic violence and 1 in 2 related have suffered some kind of abuse since the

beginning of the lockdown (Covid-19 and violence against women: What the data tells

us 2021 paragraph 6).

Domestic violence can be defined as any kind of abuse by a partner. It is the

behaviour to practice dominance against someone, maintain power and control over the

victim and can be physical, psychological, monetary, sexual, intellectual, moral, social

and emotional. Besides that, anyone can be a victim since the crime does not choose a

race, age, gender, socioeconomic conditions, sexual orientation, culture, education or

faith.

Normally, people believe that domestic violence is just between couples,

although this view is limited since the violence can be considered against anyone who

has a kind of familiarity and intimacy, even in the past. Also, it is necessary to

remember that this violence is considered a violation of human rights and never happens

just one time, it is continuous and more aggressive every time.

At first, entering the social sphere, it is notorious that the lockdown brought

large changes in what is known as social life. Every person was forced to stay at home
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IS THE COVID-19 INCREASING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

and spend more time with their families. Before people could go to the street, pubs,

parties, meetings, socializing but, with the stay-home policy, they found themselves in

mandatory reclusion. To women who suffer from violence day by day, the reclusion is

the worst scenery possible.

Forced to stay at home, these women are now obligate to spend more time

with their aggressors, turning the aggressions more constant and frequent. How do these

women will escape and ask for support? They do not have a social life anymore, which

was a kind of relief and a means to seek help. Because of that, in all world, the traffic in

websites against domestic violence increased by 950% and the seek for refugees

increased between 45 to 50% (Krishnadas & Taha, 2020 p.46). Just in the UK, the daily

calls and contacts raised 49% and the web traffic had 417% also, the refuge was full in

the first-week isolation and has a waitlist (Krishnadas & Taha, 2020 p.49).

Second, it is possible to approach the financial sphere. During the pandemic,

the economy started to collapse. When the pandemic began, employment dropped by

15%, representing 22 million jobs loosed (Kaplan, 2021 paragraph 2).  Unemployment

reflects differently in each person, however, for men, this had a huge impact since the

pressure caused by the need to sustain the house sounds like one more excuse to use

aggression against their partners. Some UN Women data shows that 4 in 5 women

suffered abuse if their partners do not have any job (Covid-19 and violence against

women: What the data tells us 2021 paragraph 15).

For women, this works differently and seems to affect more those who are

poor. UN Women data bring more clarity and shows that women with outside jobs

experience less domestic violence than those who do not work (Covid-19 and violence

against women: What the data tells us 2021 paragraph 16), and this is correlated with
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IS THE COVID-19 INCREASING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

financial insecurity. Some researches show that the biggest barrier for leaving their

homes is correlated with the capacity to maintain themselves and their kids, financially

speaking. They can leave an abusive relationship but it is usual to come back because of

financial resources. They also say that the reason that they are not working or do not

have a job before is a reflection of abuse, once their partners do not let them work

(Kurz,1998 p.108).

Regarding the third sphere, mental health is a big issue during the lockdown

and men and women are affected differently. For men, besides the pressure and the fear

involving how financially to maintain the house, creating anxiety, depression and stress,

these mental situations are one of the reasons that some men start or use more drugs and

alcohol, reflecting directly in the raise of violence. This is not an excuse but a reality.

For women, besides having the same concern as men, for those who suffer violence at

home, the emotional seem to be more affected than those who do not live this

experience (Covid-19 and violence against women: What the data tells us 2021

paragraph 12). Some research shows that women who feel unsafe at home or in public,

even if we talk about indirect experiences, are more prone to say that COVID-19 has

made worse their crisis of anxiety and stress (Covid-19 and violence against women:

What the data tells us 2021 paragraph 13), also developing depression and other mental

diseases, since they are worrying all the time, reporting 1,3 time more emotional and

mental issues (Press release: New UN Women Data confirms violence against women

has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 paragraph 3).

Concluding, as shown, women who suffer domestic violence may not be

feeling safe at home and the lockdown closed many ways to seek help. Domestic

violence was a crisis even before COVID-19, but now, as shows, the numbers seem to

be increasing and are related to the stay-home policy, not by the lockdown by itself but
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IS THE COVID-19 INCREASING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

because of what it is causing. The stay-home policy was responsible for closing many

businesses and for a lot of lost jobs, bringing insecurity for the population. This

financial insecurity can be responsible for awakening or incentives the worst in a

person, once can generate, for example, stress and anxiety, issues that can be discounted

in many ways, including aggression against partners, in this case, women. Also, women

were forced to spend more time with their aggressors, facilitating the violence. It is

necessary to bring this discussion to light, trying to get the government’s attention, since

they have the responsibility to prevent all kinds of violations of human rights and

propose assuring measures to preserve the physical, psychological, social and moral

integrity of women.
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IS THE COVID-19 INCREASING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

References

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