A new report on the impact of the pandemic on domestic violence suggests an increase of at least 8.1% in the number of incidents while staying at home.
The report, released Wednesday by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice (CCJ), analyzes the results of 18 studies that examined the frequency of reports of domestic violence both before and during the pandemic. Investigators used data collected by law enforcement agencies, health authorities, domestic violence hotlines and “other administrative documents,” according to a press release.
The CCJ found that domestic violence incidents in the US rose 8.1% after lockdown orders were issued – although the actual rate is likely higher, given that more incidents can happen behind closed doors during house arrest. In addition, friends or family who would otherwise have reported such incidents were likely separated from the victims, or were not around to see them.
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“Our analysis confirms the initial fears we had at the start of the pandemic,” Alex R. Piquero, lead author of the report and chair of the University of Miami’s department of sociology, said in a press release.
“Our analysis confirms the initial fears we had at the start of the pandemic,” said Alex R. Piquero, lead author of the report and chair of the University of Miami Department of Sociology.
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The report’s authors further believe the problem was exacerbated by increased unemployment, money problems or alcohol abuse, among other stressors that may have been triggered by the pandemic.
“The pandemic has placed many of the most vulnerable people in our society in particularly challenging circumstances, so these findings should not surprise us,” CCJ director Thomas Abt wrote in Wednesday’s press release. “Policymakers and researchers should work to better understand the impact of the pandemic and provide additional resources for the prevention of domestic violence and victim services, especially for those most isolated and at risk.”
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It’s not just an American problem, either. The CCJ report found that while the reports were up 8.1% in the United States, the average increase of all countries studied in the report – Mexico, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Argentina, India, and the US – increased by 7, 9% was barely lower. But domestic violence has always been a global problem, experts say.
The United Nations had previously warned of the “devastating impact” the pandemic could have on cases of sexual and domestic violence around the world, particularly against women and girls, following preliminary studies in 2020. This type of violence will become a “shadow pandemic” ” mentioned. In itself, the UN had already seen an increase in helpline and emergency calls in the first months of the global pandemic.
Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) had predicted more incidents of violence against women in March 2020 in multiple warnings, citing reports of spiking cases in the US, UK and China, including one from Jingzhou recording such cases. tripling in February 2020 at the start of the health crisis.