As we enter our second month of the curfew and continue to adhere to the other precautionary measures introduced by the government to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus – COVID-19, we are being reminded by the stark rise in domestic violence cases that violence within our homes remains an urgent healthcare issue. Not only for woman, who are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence but for children and young people who also experience high levels of violence in our society.

In a recent study by Ruth Rodney and Sireesha J. Bobbili entitled “Women’s Health and Life experience; a Qualitative Research Report on Violence Against Women in Guyana”, the impact of domestic violence on children is examined. The research shows there is an increased risk of children perpetrating or being a victim of violence if they are exposed to violence within a familial home, this according to data from PAHO and the CDC. Children acting out what they have seen in their parental home in their future relationships may continue a cycle of acceptance or perpetration of abuse.

In the study, domestic violence Survivors spoke about children who had witnessed their abuse. In some instances, when children were of an age to intervene, they had attempted to stop their father or mother’s partner from inflicting physical abuse. Furthermore, children who had witnessed abuse were socialized to see violence as normal.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1 billion children between the ages of 2-17 years will have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect in the past year. According to the WHO, there are six main types of interpersonal violence that occur at different stages of a child’s development. They range from maltreatment which entails violent punishment and included physical, sexual and psychological/emotional violence by parents, caregivers and other authority figures.

The second is bullying which is self-explanatory. The third type of interpersonal violence is youth violence which is most prevalent among those between the ages of 10-29 years old. This sort of violence usually occurs most commonly within the community setting between acquaintances and strangers and usually including bullying and physical assault with and without weapons such as guns and knives.

Like domestic violence victims, children too are also influenced and affected by intimate partner violence, which is the fourth type of violence children are likely to experience, according to the WHO. Intimate partner violence involves physical, sexual and emotional violence by an intimate partner or ex-partner. Intimate partner violence disproportionately affects females and commonly occurs against girls in child marriages and early/forced marriages. The fifth form of violence against children is sexual violence which includes non-consensual completed or attempted sexual contact and acts of a sexual nature not involving contact. Finally, we have emotional and psychological violence which includes restricting a child’s movement, denigration, ridicule, threats, intimidation and other forms of non-physical hostile treatment.

The effects of violence against children are numerous, complex and traumatized children often become problematic adults. According to the WHO, homicide is amongst the top three causes of death for adolescents, with boys comprising over 80% of victims and perpetrators. Another common effect of violence against children is severe physical injuries and impaired brain and nervous system development which usually occurs when the violence was experienced at a young age. Where children and young people are unable to cope with violence perpetrated against them, they often turn to self-medication in the form of drug and alcohol misuse.

What we now know is that children who are exposed to violence and other adversities are more likely to drop our of school, have difficulty finding and keeping jobs and most disturbingly are at heightened risk of later victimization and/or perpetration of interpersonal and self-directed violence.

As families the world over continue to adapt to the new way of living since the emergence of COVID-19, the escalating levels of violence occurring within the home setting must be adequately addressed as a major healthcare concern.

The effects of violence against children not only affects families and communities but the entire nation and world. We are increasingly being made aware that the ‘adultification’ of our children forces them to take on societal roles for which they are unequipped to handle physically, emotionally and financially.

And as we advance through testing times, we must be reminded of the need to protect our children and young people who are amongst the most vulnerable in our society.