Increase in domestic violence as a consequence of Covid-19

Intimate partner violence, also generally known as domestic violence, is physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the statistics remain staggering. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2020), ten million people experience physical violence by an intimate partner every year; there have been over 500 gun-related domestic violence deaths this yr; 20,000 calls are made on daily basis to domestic violence hotlines; and 20% of girls within the US have been raped. Approximately one in 4 women and one in ten men have experienced domestic violence by an intimate partner of their lifetime and reported no less than one consequence of the violence (comparable to fear for his or her safety) (CDC, 2020). Over 43 million women and roughly 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression from an intimate partner of their lives (CDC, 2020).

Domestic violence combined with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created a public health storm that’s further impacting the lives of victims all over the world. Epidemics and other natural disasters increase domestic violence for several reasons (Sharma and Borah, 2020):

• Lockdowns and stay-at-home orders contribute to social isolation
  • It separates victims from their support networks
  • It reduces the time victims have away from their perpetrators
  • It allows families to remain in close contact for a very long time
  • Limits access to childcare, food and education services
  • It increases physical and mental health problems comparable to depression, dangerous sexual behavior and substance abuse
• Layoffs and lack of income are a financial burden on families, which may result in violence.

In March 2020, the National Domestic Violence Hotline began collecting data to trace the impact of the Covid-19 virus on victims and survivors of domestic violence. In two months, the organization saw a 9% increase in the entire variety of contacts received, with over 6,000 people citing COVID-19 as exacerbating the issue. Here are some examples of interviewee comments (National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2020):

• “The caller said he could not submit the necessary documents to remove the perpetrator from his home because the courts were closed due to Covid-19.”
• “The interlocutor experienced an escalation of violence. They tested positive for Covid-19 and the perpetrator was self-isolating to prevent them from contacting their family.”
• “It was mentioned in the conversations that the perpetrator used the virus as a scare tactic to keep the victim away from children.”

The organization further discusses how the Covid-19 virus uniquely impacts survivors of intimate partner violence (National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2020).

• Shelters may suspend admissions, and survivors could also be afraid to enter shelters
• Travel restrictions prevent the victim from escaping from the perpetrator
• Abusive partners may:

• hold back essential items comparable to hand sanitizer or disinfectants
• spreading disinformation in regards to the pandemic to regulate or intimidate survivors
• withhold insurance cards or threaten to cancel insurance and stop the victim from looking for medical help in the event that they have symptoms

Sharma and Borah (2020) present several strategies to scale back the negative impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence:

• Expand social safety nets
  • Educate neighbors, community members and other bystanders to report suspected domestic violence
• Develop flexible reporting systems and reduce reporting waiting times
• Increase your response speed
  • Improve violence first response systems through financial, human resources and law enforcement funding
  • Incorporating domestic violence into healthcare response systems
  • Provide victims with a time slot during which they shall be guaranteed support
• Offer shelter and temporary housing
• Encourage the creation of temporary social support networks
• Incorporating domestic violence into pandemic preparedness strategies
• Focus on high-risk populations comparable to immigrant communities, immunocompromised people, older adults and other people with chronic diseases

As nurses, we are sometimes the primary to discover victims of violence once they seek medical care. From birth to the tip of life, we are able to play a key role in educating and stopping intimate partner violence. CDC (2020) has developed several practices that nurses can use and support to support healthy relationships and stop violence.

• Teach protected and healthy relationship constructing skills
  • Social-emotional learning programs for youth
  • Healthy relationship programs for couples
• Engage influential adults and peers
  • Recruit men and boys as allies in prevention
  • Empowering and educating bystanders
  • Family programs
• Disrupt the developmental pathways that result in intimate partner violence
  • Home visits in childhood
  • Enriching kindergarten with family involvement
  • Parenting skills and family relationships programs
  • Therapy for kids, adolescents and families in danger
• Support survivors to extend safety
  • Provide victim-centered services
  • Housing programs
  • First aid and civil legal protection
  • Patient-centered approach
  • Treatment and support for survivors, including teen dating violence

As at all times, in the event you see something, say something. Report violence in the event you witness violence at home, in your neighborhood and community, at college or within the workplace. Now greater than ever, we must remain vigilant and get up for individuals who cannot defend themselves.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020a). Violence in an intimate relationship. Downloaded from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/index.html

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). (2020). Statistics. Downloaded from https://ncadv.org/

National Domestic Violence Hotline (2020). A snapshot of domestic violence during Covid-19. Downloaded from https://www.thehotline.org/resources/a-snapshot-of-domestic-violence-during-covid-19/

Sharma, A. and Borah, S. B. (2020). Covid-19 and domestic violence: An indirect path to social and economic crisis. Journal of domestic violence. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10896-020-00188-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00188-8