As countries around the world continue to grapple with the devastating impact of COVID-19, growing data suggest that the pandemic has birthed a further crisis: the exponential rise of violence against women. This increase, coupled with the complexities occasioned by governments and aid organisations working to combat this crisis in a time of severe restrictions on the movement of people and a general depletion of resources, has spelt disaster. Nonetheless, it is a disaster that should have been anticipated.

‘PRESSURE COOKER’ CONDITIONS

There is no doubt that violence against women has always been a ubiquitous scourge across the social strata of the developing and the developed world. However, it is already clear that the onset of COVID-19 has resulted in the increase of domestic violence incidents in a number of countries. In France, reported cases of domestic violence have increased by 30% since the beginning of the lockdown on 17 March. In Argentina, Cyprus, and Singapore, helplines for domestic violence victims registered an increase in calls since lockdown measures were implemented by 25%, 30%, and 33% respectively. Similar patterns have been recorded in the United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, and China.

There are at least two, mutually-reinforcing links in the connection between the pandemic and the rise of domestic abuse. First, many countries have imposed restrictions on the movement of people as part of lockdown measures, which inadvertently forces people into close proximity with their abusers. Domestic violence victims are unable to leave their homes to seek refuge elsewhere, nor do they have the respite of their abusers leaving home for work or other purposes. Thus, their mobility is severely limited and may be monitored in certain cases.

Second, the pandemic has exacerbated (and in many cases has created) social, psychological, and economic stressors, such as job losses, food insecurity, and the inability to access support networks. These stressors, particularly in the context of forced proximity, generate ‘pressure cooker-like’ conditions for households of abuse. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the disruption of livelihoods wrought by COVID-19, and the concomitant inability to earn an income, will decrease access to basic goods and services, which in turn will increase stress on families. The end point of this domino effect is heightened tension that breeds conflict and violence, which is often directed at women and children.

It is important to acknowledge that the suffocating environment inadvertently established by stay-at-home measures is also likely to prevent women from seeking help, either remotely (for example, by calling the police or helplines) or personally (for example, by visiting shelters or centres). Consequently, the measures could result in a decrease in the number of domestic violence cases reported, as it did in Los Angeles, California, where calls related to domestic violence declined by 18% from March 19 to April 15, compared with the same period in 2019.

But, domestic violence cases are widely underreported. Far from being indicative of a miraculous decrease in the levels of domestic violence, authorities and aid organisations have expressed concern that abuse is continuing behind closed doors, with victims being unable to seek help in the circumstances.

COMPROMISED SERVICES

Domestic violence has proved tremendously difficult to manage (let alone eradicate) in prosperous societies not plagued by a pandemic. In a time where societies are scrambling to contain the spread of COVID-19, the spike in domestic violence cases is all the more challenging to address.

In a briefing about the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) cautioned that life-saving care and support for women who experience violence (for example, clinical management of rape, mental health, and psychosocial support) may be disrupted when health service providers are overburdened with handling COVID-19 cases. Further, in order to provide meaningful support to women who are experiencing domestic violence and to prosecute abusers, a coordinated response between healthcare providers, the criminal justice system, and social services is required. UN Women has noted that this coordination may be jeopardised by lockdown measures. Shelters may be converted to health facilities, admissions are limited for fear of exposure to COVID-19, and the police are reluctant to arrest perpetrators or are overwhelmed with enforcing the lockdown measures.

Where services for abused women do exist, and continue to operate during lockdown, they remain under-resourced. Many shelters rely on fundraising events to pay for the capital outlays of management. Where these events can no longer take place, reliance must be placed on increased funding from government. Not only are departments required to dig deeper into state coffers amidst a global recession, they are also required to do so quickly, so as to ensure sufficient cash flow within organisations working to assist women and children. Shockingly, in some cases funds to shelters have been reduced or frozen altogether – as was the case in South Africa, for the alleged reason that the required inspections of shelter facilities could no longer be conducted. This response is particularly jarring in view of the fact that these organisations are facing increased expenses ranging from purchasing litres of hand sanitiser and obtaining protective gear for their staff, to covering the medical costs of the women who take refuge with them.

Healthcare service providers and organisations working to combat domestic violence are taking significant strain. The disruption to vital support services and the scant resources of those organisations which continue to operate amidst increasing demand and rising expenses have created the perfect storm for an inadequate response to the rise of domestic violence in a time of COVID-19.

THE NEED FOR A PROACTIVE RESPONSE

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out that violence is not confined to the battlefield, and that “for many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest: in their own homes”. In view of what has been dubbed the “shadow pandemic”, governments have been urged to make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plans for COVID-19. To this end, both UN Women and WHO have outlined steps that can be implemented by governments, healthcare service providers, aid organisations, and citizens alike to help reduce domestic violence incidents. These measures include increasing funding to online services and civil society organisations, the establishment of warning systems in public areas (such as pharmacies and grocery stores), declaring shelters essential services, and scaling up public awareness campaigns.

Unfortunately, as many countries declared lockdown measures, the absence of a proactive approach to flattening the domestic violence curve was conspicuous. The New York Times summarised it thusly: “First, governments impose lockdowns without making sufficient provisions for domestic abuse victims. About 10 days later, distress calls spike, setting off a public outcry. Only then do the governments scramble to improvise solutions.” Italy belatedly requisitioned hotels as makeshift shelters where victims could quarantine safely. Spain and France followed suit, two weeks after their respective lockdown measures were announced. A few places have waited longer still. Whilst these delayed responses may offer some relief when they eventuate, there are serious repercussions for failing to have acted sooner. Lives are being threatened and, in extreme cases, lost. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners Avenir Health, Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and Victoria University in Australia, have postulated a 20% increase in violence against women during an average three-month lockdown in all 193 UN member states (a figure that includes underreported cases). The writing was always on the wall. It should not have taken as long as it did for governments to heed the message.

That being said, there have been laudable (albeit in some cases delayed) steps taken to curb the spread of this shadow pandemic. The use of “pop-up” services to assist women in pharmacies and grocery stores, the exemption of women fleeing abusive homes from lockdown regulations (or the removal of perpetrators from homes), and the integration of additional funding into COVID-19 response plans are prime examples. Responses are not limited to governments and aid organisations – private industry is also pitching in. Uber recently announced that it is collaborating with organisations and governments in 16 countries to provide free rides to shelters or places of safety and the delivery of meals to victims. In South Africa, Blue Label Telecoms has partnered with Women and Men Against Child Abuse to create an app that provides advice about how to identify abuse, what to do if a person encounters someone who is being abused, and further allows the organisation to monitor reports of abuse.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

As far as it is possible to quantify, the global cost of violence against women and girls is estimated at approximately 2% of global gross domestic product, or US$1.5 trillion. As countries continue to struggle with skyrocketing cases of domestic violence, this figure will undoubtedly grow. Sadly, there will be little reprieve in the future. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers estimate that a third fewer cases of domestic violence will be averted by 2030, due to the current disruption to violence prevention programmes and the diversion of resources.

In view of this painful reality, it is not possible for societies the world over to invoke the idiomatic platitude that the COVID-19 pandemic will “blow over”. Governments, aid organisations, healthcare providers, and citizens must realise that the impact of the blow of the shadow pandemic will be felt for years to come.