Intimate partner violence, also known as domestic violence, is physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the statistics remain staggering. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2020), ten million people are physically abused by an intimate partner each year; there have been over 500 gun related domestic violence fatalities this year; 20,000 calls are placed each day to domestic violence hotlines; and 20% of women in the U.S. have been raped. About one in four women and one in ten men have experienced domestic violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported at least one impact of the violence (such as being concerned for their safety) (CDC, 2020). Over 43 million women and about 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime (CDC, 2020).
Intimate partner violence coupled with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a perfect public health storm, further impacting the lives of victims around the world. Epidemics and other natural disasters intensify domestic violence for several reasons (Sharma & Borah, 2020):
- Lockdowns and stay-at-home orders contribute to social isolation
- Separates victims from their support networks
- Reduces the time victims have away from their abusers
- Places families in close contact for long periods of time
- Diminishes access to childcare services, food, education
- Increases physical and mental health issues such as depression, risky sexual behavior, and substance abuse
- Layoffs and loss of income place financial stress on families that can lead to violence
In March 2020, The National Domestic Violence Hotline began collecting data to track how COVID-19 affects victims and survivors of domestic violence. Over a two-month period, this organization experienced a 9% increase in total contacts received and over 6,000 contacts cited COVID-19 as amplifying the problem. Here are a few examples of caller comments (National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2020):
- “A caller said they could not file paperwork to remove the abuser from their home, because courts are closed due to COVID-19.”
- “A caller was experiencing an escalation of abuse. They had tested positive for COVID-19, and the abuser was using isolation to keep them from contacting family.”
- “A chatter mentioned that the abuser was using the virus as a scare tactic to keep the survivor away from their kids.”
The organization further discusses how COVID-19 uniquely impacts partner violence survivors (National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2020).
- Shelters may stop intakes and survivors may fear entering shelters
- Travel restrictions prevent a survivor from escaping their abuser
- Abusive partners may:
- withhold necessary items, such as hand sanitizer or disinfectants
- spread misinformation about the pandemic to control or frighten survivors
- withhold insurance cards or threaten to cancel insurance and prevent the victim from seeking medical care if they have symptoms
Sharma & Borah (2020) provides several strategies to reduce the negative effects of COVID-19 on domestic violence:
- Expand social safety nets
- Educate neighbors, community members and other bystanders to report suspected cases of domestic violence
- Develop flexible reporting systems and reduce wait times for reporting
- Increase the speed of response
- Improve violence-related first-response systems through financial funding, human resources and law-enforcement
- Integrate domestic violence into healthcare response systems
- Provide victims with a time window for which they are guaranteed support
- Offer shelter and temporary housing
- Encourage temporary social support networks
- Integrate domestic violence into the pandemic preparedness strategy
- Focus on high-risk populations such as immigrant communities, immunocompromised individuals, older adults, and people with chronic illnesses
As nurses, we are often the first to identify abuse victims when they seek medical care. From birth to the end of life, we can play a critical role in educating and preventing intimate partner violence. The CDC (2020) has developed several practices that nurses can employ and support to foster healthy relationships and hinder abuse.
- Teach safe and healthy relationship skills
- Social-emotional learning programs for youth
- Healthy relationship programs for couples
- Engage influential adults and peers
- Recruit men and boys as allies in prevention
- Bystander empowerment and education
- Family-based programs
- Disrupt the developmental pathways toward partner violence
- Early childhood home visitation
- Preschool enrichment with family engagement
- Parenting skill and family relationship programs
- Treatment for at-risk children, youth, and families
- Support survivors to increase safety
- Provide victim-centered services
- Housing programs
- First responder and civil legal protections
- Patient-centered approaches
- Treatment and support for survivors, including teen dating violence
As always, if you see something, please say something. Speak up if you witness abuse at home, in your neighborhood and community, at school, or in the workplace. Now, more than ever, we need to be vigilant and stand up for those that are unable to protect themselves.
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