By Joht Singh Chandan, Julie Taylor, Caroline Bradbury-Jones, et al., The Lancet, May 8, 2020
The negative consequential effects of the measures adopted by the UK and other countries to tackle the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on society are beginning to unfold. An area of concern is the impending crisis of domestic violence—gender-based violence and child abuse and neglect, due to movement restrictions, loss of income, isolation, overcrowding, and stress and anxiety, all which put women and children at a disproportionally increased risk of harm. This increased risk is not surprising. Previous epidemics, such as the Ebola virus disease outbreak in west Africa, but also cholera and Zika virus disease outbreaks, led to regional environments where domestic violence became more prevalent; there were reductions in funding for specialist gender-based violence public health services; and, for survivors of gender-based violence, there was reduced access to health-care services. Although we are not aware of published studies to date that have tracked the national trends in gender-based violence related to COVID-19, initial reports from UK support services such as the National Domestic Abuse helpline have already shown increases in service use, a pattern seen elsewhere (with notable examples in China, Spain, and France).
In the UK, before the coronavirus crisis, gender-based violence was already deemed as highly prevalent, associated with substantial negative downstream social, psychological, and physical outcomes. Therefore, any resultant increases in the rates of domestic violence would not only be a further travesty of human rights but also be associated with further long-term costs to society, which might be irreparable beyond the immediate threat of COVID-19. It has never been more important than now to implement a public health approach to gender-based violence in the UK.
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