Lessons never learned’ — How COVID-19 affects domestic violence rates

 As a result of the lockdown, many people are trapped at home with abusive partners. We examine the impact of the pandemic on rates of domestic violence in the United States and throughout the world.

Share on PinterestLiving with an abusive partner can feel isolating, and an ongoing lockdown can amplify this feeling.

Although the word “pandemic” refers to the possibility that a disease could affect everyone, it does not suggest that everyone is affected in the same way.

Some groups have been more severely affected by coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) than others. This is often a result of existing inequalities that the current global crisis only exacerbates.

One example involves domestic violence. People of all genders can experience this abuse, but studies conducted before the pandemic indicate that it disproportionately affects women.

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 For example, a U.S. Department of Justice special report on intimate partner violence (IPV) found that from 1994 to 2010, 4 in 5 people who experienced this form of abuse were female.

In 1994, for example, “85% of IPV victims were female, and the remaining 15% were male,” the authors note, highlighting a trend that remained roughly the same until 2010.

More recent data, spanning 80 countries, found that almost 30% of women who have ever been in a relationship have experienced “physical and/or sexual violence” from their partners at some point.

Pandemics and natural disasters tend to amplify these trends, and COVID-19 is no exception.

In this Special Feature, we examine the ways in which the current health crisis and accompanying lockdowns have affected people, particularly women, in abusive relationships or living arrangements in the U.S. and around the world.

First, it is important to note that this article does not offer advice about coping with an abusive partner or direct help. However, if you or someone you love is in this situation, help is available, even during lockdown.

In the U.S., the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 via:

• the phone, at 1-800-799-7233
• chat, at thehotline.org
• text, a person can text LOVEIS to 22522

Source: Medical News Today