Isolation and Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic led to numerous changes in the daily livelihood of people across the globe. These changes included isolation and stay-at-home orders, social distancing measures, and remote working guidelines (Williams et al., 2020; Aquino et al., 2020). These challenges created a potentially stressful and dangerous environment, especially when individuals were isolated close to abusers. According to Morgan and Boxall (2020), social isolation, stress, and financial strain greatly contribute to increased domestic violence worldwide. For this reason, the pandemic promoted a seamless environment for these risk factors because people were experiencing financial difficulties and stress due to job loss and reduced accessibility to social support networks (Chatterji et al., 2021). As a result, there has been an increase in domestic violence cases during the pandemic. Law enforcement agencies and organizations that provide care to the survivors of domestic violence worldwide have registered a rise in domestic violence cases (Bettinger-Lopez & Bro, 2020). This paper aims to answer whether the isolation associated with the Covid-19 pandemic accounts for the increase in domestic violence calls to law enforcement.
Increased financial pressures and stress among families and partners majorly contributed to increased domestic violence. According to Chatterji et al. (2021), many cases relating to domestic violence were caused by financial disputes and hardship. Covid-19 left many individuals jobless globally due to social distancing regulations used to counter workplace overcrowding. Thus, many employees stopped reporting to their jobs and had to experience financial constraints. Further, a study by Perez-Vincent and Carreras (2020) revealed that many victims of domestic violence had accumulated stress due to the hard economic conditions caused by the pandemic. For instance, the stress of feeding the family caused disagreements between partners, particularly when affected families depended on one parent for provision (Campbell, 2020). The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports that couples experiencing high financial stress have higher chances of experiencing domestic violence than those facing low financial stress (Williams et al., 2020). Since Covid-19 disrupted the economic nature of the globe without warning, the number of people who lost their jobs increased, leading to increased stress. Overall, increased financial pressures and stress during the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to increased violence and calls to law enforcement.
There were increased cases of intimate partner violence due to economic hardship. Moreira and Da Costa (2020) studied the causes of intimate partner domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic’s isolation rules. The research findings concluded that financial hardships triggered domestic violence between intimate partners. On rare occasions, Moreira and Costa (2020) found that fewer cases of domestic violence were related to stress and anxiety. Loss of jobs and employment left partners amidst struggles to meet basic needs. As a result, anxiety and pressure developed, leading to abuse, especially among young mothers. In conjunction with this study’s findings, Henke and Hsu (2022) state that economic constraints and isolation are major factors that create an environment prone to domestic violence. The study shows that people get psychologically stressed when they do not have sources of income to meet their needs (Henke & Hsu, 2022). However, these cases were barely reported due to strict rules publicized to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Women were the most affected victims of domestic violence during the isolation period. Xue et al. (2020) state that 65% of women could not easily get employment opportunities during the isolation policies put across to reduce the spreading rate of the coronavirus. In addition, organizations supporting women recorded that most unemployed women suffered financial abuse from their spouses during the Covid-19 lockdown measures (Sacco et al., 2020). Sacco et al. 2020 further state that families in this situation disagreed due to over-dependence and one-sided provision of basic needs. Based on the reports by law enforcement bodies and organizations offering humanitarian support to victims of domestic violence, increased financial stress and pressure contribute to unrest and disputes between spouses.
Limited access to support services during the Covid-19 pandemic created room for increased domestic violence. Reduced accessibility to support services fosters an environment that limits reporting of criminal cases in society (Kaukinen, 2020). In this manner, the victims and perpetrators of domestic violence can abuse people in their surroundings because there is barely resultant disciplinary action. Isolation regulations have caused many institutions to close, while some remained with few employees (Williams et al., 2020). Therefore, access to their services was hindered due to the unavailability of services. More so, isolation rules limited the movement of people from their areas of residence as a penetrative measure toward spreading the Covid-19 virus. Hence, social facilities that were located far from residential areas were deemed insignificant to helping domestic violence victims due to restricted movements. On most occasions, most of the offices that offer help are located in urban cities and centers where movements are limited. However, law enforcement agencies began registering domestic violence cases after isolation rules were lessened. Generally, isolation associated with the Covid-19 pandemic has limited individuals and victims from accessing social support due to reduced movement.
The escalation in domestic violence cases might have been attributed to victims’ and perpetrators’ increased time at home. Most people not used to staying together while idle have a higher probability of getting involved in disagreements with others in their surroundings (Bucerius et al., 2021). For instance, school-going children were the most vulnerable victims of domestic violence. Children staying at home in families with domestic violence faced abuse from their parents (Williams et al., 2020). Further, increased time of staying in homes led to an increased rate of domestic violence because victims had fewer opportunities to escape abusive environments. When movement is limited due to a ravaging virus that claims lives, victims could find it difficult to report to the nearest law enforcement center.
Covid-19 isolation measures increased cases of domestic violence due to limited social contact. Limited social contact set by ministries of health to curb the spreading of the pandemic forced individuals to stay in their homes for an extended time with their abusers (Williams et al., 2020). This environment is most likely to exacerbate violence because abusers may develop control, power, and superiority over their victims since there is limited social interaction (Kourti et al., 2021). Thus, limited social contact option was difficult for victims to report because they were trapped in their homes without any haven to seek help. Isolation further made it difficult for domestic violence victims to escape from their abusers (Williams et al., 2020). The social rule resulted in the closure of many support organization centers such as hotlines and shelters. Hence, victims may have been reluctant to seek help and support due to fear of exposure to the virus.
Another factor that led to increased domestic violence during Covid-19 is online harassment and control. Limitations of physical contact and isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic transformed most services’ accessibility to the internet (Xue et al., 2020). People were working remotely from home while other services, such as supply chains, were also being done online. Online abusers found new tools such as social media, online platforms, and messaging apps to intimidate and humiliate their victims (Xue et al., 2020). The control of online communication platforms tended to isolate victims from vital support networks and raise threats of physical harm. This change implied that victims had fewer chances and means of escaping from their abusers to seek help due to cybersecurity threats such as being constantly monitored and limited access to private communication channels (Xue et al., 2020). Moreover, online harassment promoted many domestic violence cases due to attacks that caused public humiliation and shaming for the victim (Xue et al., 2020). In this case, abusers’ activities, such as hacking, easily accessed people’s private information and posted it online without their consent.
Difficulty accessing law enforcement authorities contributed to increased domestic violence cases during Covid-19. Research conducted by Usher et al. (2020) on families that experienced domestic violence revealed that cases were being reported to relevant law enforcement agencies due to restricted movements and limited service providers. On the victim’s side, lockdown precautions could not allow people to walk past their compounds (Williams et al., 2020). When people reached appropriate authorities, service providers were fewer because organizations reduced the number of workers to avoid overcrowding. This study supported Kofman and Garfin (2020)’s research, which highlights that online platforms were filled with abuses and humiliation of people. Online reporting had already faced a drawback from cyber-attacks that limited victims from reaching law enforcement and support groups.
Many victims of domestic violence remained confined to their abuser and could not escape the abusive environment. A research study by Leslie and Wilson (2020) investigated whether Covid-19 safety precautions led to increased domestic violence cases. The study’s findings showed that fewer cases were reported to police officers and public social institutions while isolation rules were still in force. However, these cases escalated immediately after isolation measures were reduced, and victims confirmed that they were assaulted during the lockdown period (Boserup et al., 2020). Thus, the increased calls to law enforcement bodies represent how Covid-19 isolation increased domestic violence.
Spiritual leaders and marital counselors play an important role in keeping families together in today’s culture. These two institutions ensure that they provide moral support and counseling to families to reduce the number of conflicts and battles between couples (Piquero et al., 2021). The basic principle underlying the work of these organizations is to give an intelligent solution to the various individual difficulties among spouses and family members, which, if left unchecked, might escalate to severe problems among family members (Piquero et al., 2021). These two organizations observed a large rise in family-related cases during the Covid-19 epidemic compared to prior occasions.
Isolation during Covid-19 limited victims of domestic violence from reporting their cases due to fear of exposure to the virus. For example, on average, marital counselors reported dealing with three instances daily (Morgan & Boxall, 2020). According to Morgan and Boxall (2020), this trend was a huge rise from the usual two to three instances dealt with weekly. Individuals noted that the containment measures implemented to combat the spread of the coronavirus epidemic drew families closer, which was thought to contribute to family-related abuse and violence. The virus was indicated as the primary source of the difficulties by the majority of those who reported them (Kourti et al., 2021). According to marital counselors and religious leaders, women and children were the major victims of domestic violence (Kourti et al., 2021). They claimed to experience family violence due to the aftermath of Covid-19, as their father and wife were aggressive because of the stress of losing work. This vulnerability is a strong reason why domestic violence among families increased during the coronavirus epidemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a large global influence on domestic violence. Because of the frequent interaction between offenders and victims, home confinement resulted in greater violence and decreased reporting (Morgan & Boxall, 2020). Domestic violence, child abuse, and elder abuse have increased due to economic turbulence and stressful situations. During the Great Recession in the United States, a similar discovery was discovered. Similar findings have been made more recently, such as during the European debt crisis of the 2010s (Sifat, 2020). Domestic violence may grow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic owing to house confinement, limited access to public services, and victim support organizations.
Stress, psychological failure, financial difficulties, poor and cramped living conditions, and drunkenness can all lead to marital violence. Forced family living during the epidemic has all the hallmarks of a real “emergency in an emergency.” People compelled to cohabit due to pandemic lockdowns were among the most impacted groups worldwide (Morgan & Boxall, 2020). Once China lifted its extraordinary isolation limitations on females who had previously been forced to stay in an abusive situation for months, there was an increase in claims of domestic abuse (Sacco et al., 2020). In the aftermath, there were multiple allegations of couples arguing and assaulting their children in the news. Forced imprisonment in tiny quarters, such as those found in China, where inmates are always afraid of being assaulted, caused immense worry and mental pain. Because of the need to preserve public order, there was also a scarcity of police officers monitoring this misuse.
In conclusion, the isolation associated with the Covid-19 pandemic accounts for increased domestic violence calls to law enforcement calls. Isolation of individuals during the pandemic increased the number of hours people spent together, which prompted higher chances of domestic violence. Further, economic hardship due to the loss of a job built anxiety, tension, and pressure between partners leading to domestic violence. The migration of people from physical availability at jobs to remote working led to increased domestic violence due to online harassment and controls. Further, people had difficulties accessing law enforcement agencies and support organizations through online calls since abusers had taken control of online technology and communication platforms. As a result, victims had little or no options to escape from their perpetrators. Restricted movements and social isolation in public places and facilities created a hurdle that prevented victims from reporting harassment cases. For this reason, the increased calls for law enforcement have been caused by the isolation measures meant to curb the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
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