Domestic Violence Reporting during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Latin America

Abstract

This article examines changes in the frequency and characteristics of domestic violence reports after the start of the pandemic and the imposition of mobility restrictions in six Latin American countries. The study uses three types of data sources: calls to domestic violence hotlines (for the City of Buenos Aires in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru); calls to emergency lines (for Ecuador, Lima in Peru, and Costa Rica); and police/legal complaints (for Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay). Data through June 2020 shows that the pandemic's impact on domestic violence reports varied significantly across countries, periods, types of violence, and reporting channels. Calls to domestic violence hotlines soared, but calls to emergency lines and police complaints fell (especially in the first weeks of the pandemic). Significantly distinct patterns are observed between reports of psychological and physical violence, and non-cohabitant and cohabitant violence. These patterns are consistent with the pandemic changing the relative incidence of different types of violence and altering the perceived costs of reporting them through alternative channels. Increases in calls to domestic violence hotlines suggest that this channel was best suited to respond to victims' needs during the pandemic. In turn, the drop in legal complaints and calls to comprehensive emergency lines are consistent with an increase in the perceived (relative) cost of using these channels. The findings reveal how the pandemic altered domestic violence victims' demand for institutional help and highlight the relevance of domestic violence hotlines as an accessible and valuable service.

COVID‐19 in Latin America and the Caribbean: Two years of the pandemic

“…Moreover, stay‐at‐home measures contributed to the rise in domestic violence and sexual abuse. Calls to help hotlines increased massively in Colombia—which received 127% more reports than usual—and in Argentina, with sexual violence rising more than two‐thirds [ 109 ]. Whilst the region has managed to show signs of economic growth, complete rebound is not expected to occur in the following years, imposing added misfortune to the citizens of LAC [ 110 ].…”

Tightened social distancing measures and increased violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

“…Cyberbullying and verbal forms of violence at school have continuously increased during the pandemic in South Korea (Ministry of Education, 2021). Likewise, domestic violence in psychological form has increased even while incidents of domestic violence in physical form have decreased in Latin America (Carreras and Perez-Vincent, 2021). However, these new forms of violence are not easily captured under the current reporting system.…”

“…Thus, effective violence reporting mechanisms that capture various forms of violence should be established. Research proves that hotline channels better respond to victims' needs than emergency lines and policy complaints (Carreras and Perez-Vincent, 2021). Mobile applications may be another option to identify victims of violence in this circumstance, where 93% of adults in South Korea had and used a smartphone in 2020 (Gallup, 2020).…”

A Prospective Cohort Study of Presenteeism and Increased Risk of Divorce Among Japanese Workers

“…5 There are also reports of increased family violence. 6,7 Negative effects on family relationships have also been reported because of the telecommuting being conducted in many countries. 2,8 Significant external stress events such as disasters have different effects on family relationships depending on the nature of the event, such as the severity of the impact on life and health, the duration of the impact, and the geographic extent of the impact.…”

“…These changes may have resulted in significant modifications in family and marital relationships, with some reports suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on satisfaction with family relationships 5 . There are also reports of increased family violence 6,7 . Negative effects on family relationships have also been reported because of the telecommuting being conducted in many countries 2,8 …”