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Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries reported an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence.^[1] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, noting the "horrifying global surge", called for a domestic violence "ceasefire".^[2][3] UN Women stated that COVID-19 created "conditions for abuse that are ideal for abusers because it forced people into lockdown" thus causing a "shadow pandemic" that exacerbated preexisting issues with domestic violence globally.^[4]

Domestic violence and sexual exploitation, which was already an epidemic around the world, spiked when households were placed under the increased strains that come from security, health and money worries, and cramped and confined living conditions. Prior to the lockdowns, it was estimated that one in three women will experience violence during their lifetimes, a human rights violation that also bears an economic cost of US$1.5 trillion.^[5][6][7] Due to lockdowns many of these women were now trapped at home with their abusers and were at increased risk of other forms of violence as overloaded healthcare systems and disrupted justice services struggle to respond.^[5][6][7] Women, especially essential and informal workers, such as doctors, nurses and street vendors, were at heightened risk of violence as they navigated deserted urban or rural public spaces and transportation services under lockdown.^[5][6][7]

More domestic violence helplines and shelters around the world reported rising calls for help. In a number of countries, domestic violence reports and emergency calls surged upwards of 25 per cent since social distancing measures were enacted. Such numbers were believed to reflect only the worst cases.^[5][6][7] In Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, government authorities, women's rights activists and civil society partners flagged increasing reports of domestic violence during the crisis, and heightened demand for emergency shelter.^[5][8][7] The European Parliament issued a press release addressing the issue, writing "we won't leave Europe's women alone", and asked member states to increase support to domestic violence victims during the pandemic.^[9]

Background

Pandemics, financial insecurity, stress and uncertainty have led to increased aggression at home, which was seen previously with the global financial crisis in 2009 and natural disasters such as the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, with abusers able to control large amounts of their victims' daily lives.^[10] Domestic violence also increases whenever families spend more time together, such as during Christmas vacations.^[11] As stated by the French Secretary of Equality Marlene Schiappa, "Confinement is a breeding ground for domestic abuse."^[12]

Impact on ability to access help

Prior to the lockdowns, less than 40 percent of the women who experienced violence sought help of any sort. Now, quarantine and movement restrictions further serve to isolate many women trapped with their abusers from friends, families and other support networks. And, the closure of non-essential businesses means that work no longer provides respite for many survivors and heightened economic insecurity makes it more difficult for them to leave. For those who do manage to reach out, overstretched health, social, judicial and police services are struggling to respond as resources are diverted to deal with the pandemic.^[5][8][7]

Situation by country

Albania

In Albania, 245 cases of violence against women were reported in March, with 89 prosecutions, 33 arrests and 141 protection orders issued.^[13] As opposed to many countries, the number of domestic violence reports decreased by 141 as compared to the same month the previous year.^[14] The number of reports might be higher, however, as lockdown restrictions make reporting more difficult.^[13] Roma women in Albania seem to be particularly affected. Many of them experience increased domestic violence and are not able to report because they are afraid, do not own a mobile phone, or cannot leave their house.^[14]

Argentina

During the 120 first days of lockdown, the Domestic Violence Bureau (dependent on the Supreme Court) received 1280 reports of intrafamily violence.^[15][16] The number of women killed reached a 10-year high during the COVID-19 lockdown.^[17]

Calls to the 144 emergency phone number for gender violence increased 28% year-on-year on a nationwide level,^[18][19] 48% in the capital city Buenos Aires,^[20] 35% in the Buenos Aires Province,^[21] and 10% in the Salta Province.^[22]

Australia

The Australian government announced that Google searches for domestic violence help had increased by 75% more than normal.^[23] The Western Australia Police reported a 5 percent increase in domestic violence reports compared to the year prior.^[24] A report from the Gender and COVID-19 Working Group stated that of 400 frontline workers polled, some 40 percent reported an increase in calls for help, and 70 percent saw an increase in the complexity of the cases.^[10]

Belgium

On 23 March 2020, the Flemish Helpline (Vlaamse Hulplijn, phone number 1712) stated that many police zones and parquets in Belgium reported a rise in familial violence after the country entered lockdown on 12 March.^[25] On 7 April, the Flemish Helpline reported a 70% rise in calls for help in the third week of lockdown (week 16) compared to the first week (week 14); the calls involved almost double the number of (potential) victims of violence.^[26]

Citing the reported surge in domestic violence in China and France and anecdotal evidence from Belgian online abuse help services, Ghent University announced on 13 April 2020 it was launching a national investigation into domestic violence to assess the extent of the problem, stating that it feared a 'domestic violence crisis' and wanted to inform and warn politicians and healthcare workers.^[27] Additionally, a number of girls and women living in Brussels claimed that since the beginning of the lockdown there had been a severe rise in incidents of street harassment, presumably due to sexual frustration; they accused the police – who could not confirm an increase in cases – of not doing enough to safeguard public security and deal with the perpetrators.^[28]

Canada

In Canada, women and children are facing obstacles in accessing social services as services have transitioned to offering services remotely.^[29] Both the severity and frequency of domestic violence have risen across the country since March 2020.^[30] This rise is a result of stress from the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdowns, fractures in the judicial system, and reduced social supports for families.^[30] The lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has left many women unable to exercise independence, as many are losing their source of income or public identity, along with increased burdens of a child or elder care caused by the shut-down of many physical venues.^[31] Maryam Monsef, Canada's Minister for Women and Gender Equality, has cited an increase in gender-based violence of 20-30% in some areas in Canada as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown measures.^[31] Canadian victim services across the country were impacted due to a lack of accessibility to required resources to aid their clients as they shifted to working remotely with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes accessibility to legal aid and housing, access to medical aid, and mental health services.^[32] British Columbia's Battered Women crisis line reported a doubling of calls in March 2020 compared to March 2019, and a tripling from April 2019 to April 2020, followed by levelling off to 2019 levels through the summer as lockdown restrictions eased.^[33] In Toronto, the Assault Women's Hotline answered 55,000 calls between March and September 2020.^[33] However, an additional 11,630 did not get through or were dropped before connecting.

^[33] COVID-19 has exacerbated the availability of safe places of refuge for these women and children.^[29] There has been a lack of emergency shelter for women both before and during COVID-19.^[29] The Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Housing has seen a significant increase in the number of women reaching out for help during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and they suspect that many more are unable to reach out due to quarantining with their domestic-abuser, meaning they cannot be alone to make a phone call.^[34] The most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive relationship is when they attempt to leave.^[29] Canada included 50M CAD as part of its COVID-19 aid package to support shelters for those facing gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual assault.^[5][7][8] A 2020 report from Women's Shelters Canada says this funding is still inadequate.^[31] Many shelters still raise their own funding to cover staff salaries and other operating costs.^[31] In Manitoba, women's shelters receive fewer calls than previously.^[35] 1 in 4 Canadian women reports increased anxiety levels, and 1 in 5 reports feeling depressed most of the time as a result of increased tension and violence at home.^[34] These heightened rates are expected to continue beyond the length of the COVID-19 lockdowns as the dynamic in the household is fundamentally altered.^[34]

China

Jingzhou-based anti-domestic violence activist and retired police officer Wan Fei told Sixth Tone on 2 March 2020 that the number of domestic violence cases reported to a nearby police station had tripled in February 2020 compared to February 2019. "According to our statistics, 90% of the causes of violence are related to the COVID-19 epidemic," he said, citing quarantine anxiety, economic insecurity and weakened victim support networks as factors.^[36][37]

In the Hubei province of China, domestic violence reports to police more than tripled compared to the previous year, jumping from 47 cases in February 2019 to 162 cases in February 2020.^[38] 26-year-old Lele from Anhui province said that she had already faced abuse by her husband for six years, but the COVID-19 lockdown made it far worse; in a 1 March escalation, he repeatedly hit her with a chair and wholly bruised her legs while she was holding their 11-month-old daughter.^[39]

Colombia

On the first day of the nationwide lockdown for Colombia; 24 March, a man shot his wife, her sister and mother dead inside of their home in an apparent femicide attack. The mayor of the capital city Bogota reported that in the first week of lockdown the only crime statistic to not lower was domestic violence, which surged 225%. The leader of Colombia's Femicide Observatory, which tracks the killing of women, cited an increase in neighborhood reporting and the use of hashtags like #FeminicidioEsPandemia and #ViolenciaDeGenero.^[40]

Cyprus

Helplines in Cyprus have registered an increase in calls by more than 30 per cent. In Australia, 40 per cent of frontline workers in a New South Wales survey reported increased requests for help with violence that was escalating in intensity.^[5][8][7]

Denmark

At the start of the corona crisis, staff at women's shelters expressed concern that the number of women seeking shelter would rise, and on this basis, the government stepped up appropriations for the shelters. However, the expected rise in demand has not come true; instead, there are fewer women seeking shelter than before. However, some information on the situation is self-contradictory.^[41] There has, however, been a rise in men that have become homeless because of conflicts in relation to the corona crisis, and men's shelters are too small land few to meet the demand. In spite of this, the government does not give increased grants to men's shelters.^[42] A number of psychotherapists report that during the corona crisis, in some couples, the relationship deteriorates, but in many couples, the relationship improves, because partners have more time to talk together and talk with their kids.^[43]

Fiji

The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre received an increase number of domestic violence cases during the lockdowns with the national domestic violence helpline receiving over 500 calls in April.^[44] Also, the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation recorded more than 1000 assault cases against women.^[45] In response, the government of Fiji formed the COVID-19 Response Gender Working Group to advance prevention and response to violence against women and girls and also to formulate policies and programs that are not gender-blind.^[46]

France

In the first week of its lockdown, France saw a 32% rise in areas policed by the National Gendarmerie (rural and suburban areas) in relation to domestic violence.^[47] By 26 March this figure had increased to 36% in Paris.^[23] In response, the government introduced the possibility for female victims to call for help at pharmacies, and mandated the police to be on high alert for domestic violence during the lockdown.^[48]

Germany

Exact figures of how sharply the rate of domestic violence had risen in Germany were not yet available as of 2 April 2020, but help organisations commented that it appeared to be "Christmas squared", noting that domestic violence normally also peaked during Christmas, but that the current situation was far worse.^[49] More recent information is that the rate of domestic violence has gone down in all parts of Germany or at least has not risen. For instance, in Nordrhein-Westphalen, the number of cases of domestic violence in March 2020 was 28% lower than in March 2018 and 2019.^[50]

India

India's National Commission for Women (NCW) has seen a more than twofold rise in gender-based violence during the lockdown in India.^[51] Between 23 March and 16 April NCW registered 587 domestic violence complaints, a ~45% increase from the previous 25 days.^[52][53] Factors compounding the situation include the confinement, financial worries due to the lockdown, and lack of access to alcohol.^[52][54] The virus mirrored the pre-existing patriarchal notions^[55] and magnified the discrimination and pre-existing inequalities.^[56][57][58] There has also been a threefold rise in police apathy towards women complaints, with the police busy with lockdown orders.^[59] Indian women rights activist Kavita Krishnan said that women told her that had the Indian government given a warning about the lockdown, they could have tried moving to safer locations in time.^[60]

The Childline India helpline received more than 92,000 calls between 20 and 31 March, the start of India's lockdown, asking for protection from abuse and violence. The extended confinement has also trapped children with their abusers at home.^[61]

Ireland

The Irish Police received a large increase in the number of calls regarding domestic abuse, with some victims stating they had to flee to their car to call for help. The charity Woman's Aid chief Sarah Benson told reporters that the trend that she had seen was the threat and dangers of the virus being used to manipulate and abuse the victims.^[62] Safe Ireland's Chief Executive echoed this stating that the virus was being weaponised against them, with some victims stating that they hadn't realized how bad it was until now. Twenty-one of the women's refuges in the State were full in March, with some victims and their children being moved into AirBnB's to allow for social distancing.^[63]

Israel

ERAN, a nonprofit organization which handles domestic abuse and other calls on its telephone hotline and by email, reported a 35.8 percent increase in domestic violence-related calls between March and May 2020 compared to three months prior.^[64] Protests were held in Israeli cities in May to bring attention to the murder of five women in a seven-week period since the government imposed lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus.^[65] When the government first called for citizens to stay home in March, women's shelters were reported as close to full capacity, both due to new arrivals and to current residents who stayed in the shelters because of the lockdowns.^[66]

Italy

In Italy, there has been a steep fall in calls to domestic violence helplines. Another support group in France has seen the same trend of drop in calls. This may be attributed to women finding it difficult to ask from help during the confinement of a lockdown.^[67] As Time magazine reports: "mandatory lockdowns ... have trapped them in their homes with their abusers, isolated from the people and the resources that could help them".^[68]

Jordan

A video post by a woman in Jordan went viral as she documented the abuse she had suffered due to her mother and siblings, before the Jordanian Women's Union removed her and her son from the home.^[12]

Luxembourg

There is no information that the incidence of domestic violence should have risen.^[69]

Mexico

At least one organization; Brujas del Mar, with help from social media networks to bolster digital aids or create new ones for women. Essential women workers, have been offered digital accompaniment and tracking services for those who have to walk to places alone. A Mexico City organization Gendes, has focused on working with males instead using a new hotline to talk down men from becoming violent instead of their in-person anti-machismo therapy.^[40]

Netherlands

The Atria Institute on gender equality and women's history stated in late March that "in times of crisis – like natural disasters, wars and epidemics – the risk of gender-based violence increases," and noted that the National Network Safely Home (Landelijk Netwerk Veilig Thuis, LNVT) was wary of a rise in new violent incidents in the Netherlands.^[71] The Children's Telephone (Kindertelefoon), a Dutch non-profit organisation helping children (anonymously) to deal with various problems, reported a 50 percent surge in calls – most of them related to domestic and sexual abuse and violence – in the 2 weeks after the Netherlands entered into a semi-lockdown in mid-March.^[72]

On 31 March, online help services Sterk Huis and Fier reported a rise in people contacting them through chat due in tensions and verbal escalations at home (Fier noted a 20% rise in conversations and double the number of domestic violence incidents occurring in March compared to January and February 2020); on the other hand, Safely Home had not yet registered a significant rise, and the National Police even noted a 12% decline compared to the same week in 2019.^[70] That same day, however, the Central Netherlands Police region did note a rise in domestic quarrels, violence and child abuse incidents due to increased tensions in the preceding weeks, and called on people to stay vigilant and always keep reporting signals of domestic violence and child abuse.^[73]

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Impact_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_on_domestic_violence
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