Rise in Sexual and Gender-based Violence (GBV) due to COVID-19

Sexual and gender-based violence commonly referred to by its acronym SGBV in administrative
spaces have seen a sharp global rise in numbers after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While
laymen may find it difficult to correlate the pandemic with a rise in sexual violence, experts have
deemed the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the most pressing concerns in terms of women’s safety
and wellbeing in particularly troubled homes.

Domestic Violence – A Leading Cause of Gender-based Violence

Global instances of sexual and gender-based violence often stem from troubled households embroiled in practices of domestic violence inflicted upon women and children.

A pre-pandemic WHO report contended that every 1 out of 3 women admitted to suffering physical and sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner. The numbers have only grown furthermore with the strict enforcement of lockdown rules across the world.

The rise of sexual and gender-based violence in COVID-19 is heavily attributed to domestic violence and its cause-and-effect relationship with economic dependence. Dependent women and children become helpless SGBV victims when institutional constraints prevent them from seeking timely help.

Neither can they financially support themselves to lead an independent life nor can they leave their abusive partners to escape domestic violence. The unstable market conditions and increased levels of unemployment have worsened the condition of SGBV victims in the wake of COVID-19.

What caused the number of cases of domestic violence to rise during lockdown?

Strict lockdown measures and rising unemployment rates have restricted people to the four walls of their homes. This has proven to be disastrous for already endangered victims of sexual and gender-based violence as the risks of cohabitating with their abusers became exponentially high.

Economic hardships, increased substance abuse, social isolation and frustration originating from the inability to carry out routine tasks due to the pandemic became additional stressors to the volatile situation in the homes of SGBV victims. The same led to a sharp rise in the number of cases of domestic violence being reported worldwide.

Dependent SGBV victims, who earlier had access to some relief in the absence of their abusive partners, were now forced to stay within the watchful eyes of their violent partners.

Children have also been trapped in troubled homes where they run the risk of experiencing physical and sexual assault. While most of these cases are believed to have gone unreported, the official numbers still account for an alarming rise.

Shadow Pandemic

The United Nations has recognized the sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence cases after multiple COVID-19 waves. According to the UN, the increased instances of domestic violence has led the world to witness a “shadow pandemic” which has led to considerable distress among marginalized groups alongside the debilitating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to Tackle This Rise in Sexual and Gender-based Violence?

The global effort to revive SGBV victims from their distressed conditions has become more difficult as valuable resources have been diverted to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the allocation of limited but resourceful implements is necessary to ensure the safety of persons at risk of experiencing sexual and domestic violence at home.

This is only possible when people are aware of the rise in SGBV cases and how to identify victims of domestic violence in their surroundings.

Most importantly, healthcare workers need to be sensitized towards issues of domestic violence so that they can identify signs of sexual violence in the early stages.

More helpline numbers also need to be brought to the forefront and advertised across different mediums to make them more accessible to SGBV victims.

Manisha Ray

A connoisseur of all things wonderful in life, Manisha is a literature major at Delhi University. She is a keen observer and a quiet thinker.

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