The prevalence of domestic violence among women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from an online survey of 15,000 Australian women about their experience of domestic violence during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the three months prior to the survey, conducted in May 2020, 4.6 percent of women who responded to the survey experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or former cohabiting partner. Almost six percent (5.8%) of women experienced coercive control and 11.6 percent reported experiencing at least one form of emotionally abusive, harassing or controlling behaviour. For many women, the pandemic coincided with the onset or escalation of violence and abuse. Two-thirds of women who experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or former cohabiting partner since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic said the violence had started or escalated in the three months prior to the survey. Many women, particularly those experiencing more serious or complex forms of violence and abuse, reported safety concerns were a barrier to help-seeking.

Locked Down with the Perpetrator: The Hidden Impacts of COVID-19 on Domestic and Family Violence in Australia

“…Increase in the frequency and severity of domestic violence Not surprisingly, 13.1% (n = 41) of service providers indicated that victims/survivors who were locked down and isolated with violent partners experienced an increase in domestic violence, including an increase in coercive and controlling behaviours. This aligns with other research undertaken during the pandemic that has found more than half the women who had experienced domestic violence prior to COVID-19 indicated that the intensity of it had become more frequent and/or severe during the pandemic (Boxall, Morgan and Brown 2020;Pfitzner, Fitz-Gibbon and True 2020). Supporting findings from these studies, our survey similarly revealed that being stuck at home with the perpetrator led to worsening violence in some instances.…”

“…This comment also signals the other main reason why accessing formal supports was more difficult for victims/survivors of domestic violence during COVID-19: increased control by proximity to and surveillance from the perpetrator (see Figure 5). This was noted by almost one-third of respondents (29.8%, n = 39) (see also Boxall, Morgan and Brown 2020;Pfitzner, Fitz-Gibbon and True 2020). As these responses capture:…”

“…Most victims of DFV do not report to the police. The pandemic has pushed these marginalised voices further underground, with many unable to seek help (Boxall, Morgan and Brown 2020). Our survey sought to amplify the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities; Indigenous communities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, + (LGBTIQ+) 1 communities; women locked down with school-age children; women already experiencing domestic violence; and women who for the first time experienced domestic violence during a pandemic.…”

“…To stem the pandemic, state and territory governments introduced lockdowns and restrictions on travel. While this is a justifiable public health measure, it enhanced the risk of DFV (Boxall, Morgan and Brown 2020), an already significant public health and human rights issue. Before the pandemic, in high-income countries such as Australia, domestic violence was estimated to affect at least 23% of all women, just under 25% of women in the WHO (2021) Western Pacific region, and as many as 37% of women in the WHO South-East Asian and Mediterranean regions.…”

“Are you safe to talk?”: Perspectives of Service Providers on Experiences of Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…A study by Ravindran and Shah ( 2020 ) conducted in India similarly found an increase in domestic violence and cybercrime complaints after shelter-in-place orders were initiated, with increases most concentrated in districts with the strictest lockdown orders. In Australia, Boxall and colleagues ( 2020 ) sent an online survey to 15,000 women about their experiences of domestic violence during the initial three months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results suggested that the pandemic coincided with the onset or escalation of violence and abuse among many Australian women.…”