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Abstract
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This article has a correction. Please see:
Domestic violence during the pandemic - March 19, 2021:: In this editorial by Gene Feder and colleagues (BMJ 2021;372:n722, doi:10.1136/bmj.n722) the affiliations for Poonam Rishal were incorrect. He is a co-investigator at Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital. The online version has been corrected.
Healthcare systems have failed to respond adequately despite increased need globally
Domestic violence and abuse is a violation of human rights that damages the health and wellbeing of survivors and their families. Although both men and women are affected, incidence and severity are much greater for women: the World Health Organization recently estimated that a third of women worldwide experience domestic violence or abuse in their lifetime.
The factors driving this startling prevalence range from the personal to the structural, including pandemics and other public health crises. A BMJ editorial in May 2020 discussed the effects of economic disruption during pandemics, isolation within the home enforced by lockdowns, and reduced access to statutory and voluntary services that support survivors.2 Domestic violence has been magnified by the covid-19 pandemic in two senses: incidence has increased globally, and the presence of domestic violence within all societies has also been revealed more clearly, alongside other adversities and inequalities. The societal response must be multisectoral. Here, we focus on challenges to the healthcare response.
Meeting the needs of survivors and their families requires additional healthcare resources and must be informed by accurate data on the incidence and effect of domestic violence and abuse, and by an understanding of the experience of survivors seeking support. Uncertainty remains about the size of the increase in domestic violence globally during the covid-19 pandemic. Calls to support services and to the police have varied over the past year, with large increases in most countries, including the UK,3 Brazil,4 and Nepal. Yet, emergency department attendance for domestic violence and non-partner sexual violence has fallen substantially, along with general emergency department attendance.
Language: en |