COVID-19 and the rise of intimate partner violence

Abstract

Stay-at-home policies have been implemented worldwide to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, there is a growing concern that such policies could increase violence against women. We find evidence in support of this critical concern. We focus on Peru, a country that imposed a strong lockdown starting on mid-March and where nearly two-thirds of women already experienced violence before COVID-19. Using administrative data on phone calls to the national helpline for domestic violence (Línea 100) and a difference-indifference approach, we find that the incidence rate of the calls during the lockdown is nine percent larger than in previous periods and that the rise in phone calls has accelerated as the lockdown continues. We also uncover an important heterogenous pattern. We construct a stay-at-home index using Google's mobility measures and show that the increase is driven by states where the lockdown has been more pronounced, which more than doubles the incidence rate of calls to the Línea 100. These findings reinforce the need to identify policy options to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus without affecting women's safety.

Understanding Domestic Violence in India During COVID-19: a Routine Activity Approach

“…Mahase ( 2020 ) reported a 60% increase in emergency calls related to violence against women by their intimate partners in Europe. Similarly, Agüero ( 2020 ) found a 48% increase in helpline calls related to domestic violence in Peru. While analyzing tweets related to domestic violence, Xue et al ( 2020 ) highlighted that tweets mentioning an increase in domestic violence due to COVID-19 were frequent (Xue et al 2020 ).…”

Alcohol and Short-Run Mortality: Evidence from a Modern-Day Prohibition

“…D A comment on gender-based violence in South Africa during Interestingly, while many other countries observed spikes in gender-based violence (GBV) during COVID-19 lockdown periods (Agüero, 2020;Anderberg et al, 2020;Boserup et al, 2020;Bullinger et al, 2020;Leslie and Wilson, 2020;Mahmud and Riley, 2020;Perez-Vincent et al, 2020;Ravindran and Shah, 2020;Silverio-Murillo et al, 2020), the emerging evidence from telephonic reporting and counselling services, as well as police data, suggests that there was no such increase in GBV during the lockdown in South Africa (Gould, 2020). This is in spite of the fact that the South African lockdown (Level 5 + Level 4) was one of the strictest worldwide and lasted for 66 days.…”

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against Women in Bangladesh amid COVID-19 Pandemic

“…According to WHO, domestic violence (DV) related hotline help calls increased up to to 50% in some countries amid the pandemic (WHO, 2020). More speci cally, DV related hotline help calls were increased 40 to 50% in Brazil, 48% in Peru, 25% in the UK, 30% in Cyprus, 30% in France, 30 to 50% in Alberta (Canada), and three times in Hubei province (China) (WHO, 2020;Bradbury-Jones & Isham, 2020;Gebrewahd et al, 2020;Buttell, 2020;Campbell, 2020;Agüero, 2021). A study by Gebrewahd et al (2020) included that reports of DV increased up to 75% in Australia, 21-35% in the USA, and 32-36% in France.…”