Responding to violence against women and children during COVID-19

WE have covered the issue of violence against women and children, ad nauseam, particularly as it relates to the reported surge in violence against women and children following the emergence of COVID-19. However, as emergency measures continue to require most of us to stay at home for the foreseeable future, we might reasonably assume that the issue will persist. As such, governments around the world have been taking action to provide support and relief for those affected.

A recent report from the UNICEF highlights some of the steps governments around the world are taking in order to safeguard the well-being of women and children. And, whilst we have limited information on the socio-economic impacts of a pandemic such as this, UNICEF believes that ‘we have enough evidence to say, unequivocally, that related factors — such as confinement, social isolation, increased levels of financial stress, and weak institutional responses—can increase or intensify levels of violence.’ Indeed, the statistical and data information we have already covered in this publication gives credence to the foregoing assertion.

So, in an attempt to raise awareness and provide relief for those in need, governments around the world have been making increased efforts to share information and expand services aimed at assisting those affected by violence in the home. Helplines, texting services and email services have been set up where they were not before, and where they have always existed, their mandates have been extended to cope with the surge in contact.
According to the UNICEF report, governments have been providing additional funding for safe-houses and shelters for victims of domestic violence and their children. In March, as part of its COVID-19 relief package, Canada allocated $50 million to women’s shelters and sexual assault centres. Similarly, in France, a €1.1 million funding increase for anti-abuse organisations included 20,000 hotel nights for survivors to escape abusive partners. In Trento, Italy, a prosecutor ruled that in situations of domestic violence, the abuser must leave the family home rather than the victim. Similar rulings have been given in Austria and Germany. These rulings are definitely a step in the right direction, however, concerns remain regarding the safety of victims, who might fear that their abusers would return, as their location is well known to them. However, others would argue that victims should not be forced to leave the home.

Another key step in combatting the surge of violence is limiting the risk factors associated with violence. In an unprecedented move, Greenland has banned the sale of alcohol in its capital, Nuuk to reduce the risk of violence against children in the home. Similarly, South Africa, which has experienced an exponential growth in reports of domestic violence, has taken similar measures. The UNICEF report argues that ‘while alcohol abuse and problematic drinking is shown to be linked to more severe violent episodes, the relationship is complex, and there is limited evidence of how alcohol-related policies affect violence’.

Despite the limited availability of statistical and data information to illustrate the connection between alcohol and violence in Guyana, we have sufficient anecdotal evidence to determine a clear trend and link between alcohol consumption and violence. Time and time again, we report homicides and other crimes that have been committed by men and women who had been imbibing alcohol before going on to commit heinous crimes against friends, family, children and spouses. Whilst we continue to deal with alcoholism and its associated socio-economic impacts on families and our society, it is important, especially at this time, that we should consider limiting the sale of alcohol in Guyana. At the very least, there should be better enforcement of current rules which require vendors to have a license to sell liquor.

Finally, the report notes that even in cases where there has been a decrease in reports of domestic violence or child abuse, this could be attributed to the nature of the victim’s isolation and proximity to their abuser. Teachers and social workers are now also unable to report abuse, as schools are closed, and most social services have been restricted. This is not to say that there has, indeed, been a decrease in violence, but in the reporting of it. The UNICEF report rightly notes that spending on these services has predominantly been in high-income countries like the ones mentioned above. However, with the recent influx of international aid being sent to Guyana, it is our hope that some of these funds will be allocated to addressing the surge in violence against women and children.

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