As the coronavirus pandemic has reached its one year mark, it is important to consider the effects this virus has had not only on the health of people, but also on the homes of families. Staying at home and quarantining with partners for extended periods of time could reveal abusive tendencies, something that a multitude of statistics have proven to be true.
According to the CDC, about “1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced” some form of domestic violence from an intimate partner. These numbers may have unfortunately increased due to the state of the pandemic. In many areas of the United States, there has been a significant increase in domestic violence related arrests since the beginning of the pandemic. For example, in Jefferson County, Alabama, there was a “reported 27% increase in DV calls during March 2020 compared to March 2019” (Boserup, et al., 2020). In states such as Oregon and Texas, similar increases by around 20% have occurred as well (Boserup, et al., 2020).
On the other hand, in some areas of the U.S., domestic violence related calls have decreased by nearly 50% (Evans, et al., 2021). Although this statistic sounds promising, experts in the field of domestic violence suggest that the rates “had not decreased, but rather that victims were unable to safely connect with services” (Evans, et al., 2021).
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the pandemic, many have lost their jobs and families have been struck with financial entanglements. The stress of childcare, school, finances, and food insecurity during a global pandemic can be overwhelming for a family, and can be a contributing factor to domestic violence related incidents. The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that “economic independence is a critical factor in violence prevention” (Evans, et al., 2021).
Sikhi Alpha’s focus on providing financial literacy resources to domestic violence survivors stems from this exact idea of ensuring financial independence. If people are well versed in their knowledge of finances, then they are more likely to escape such situations involving domestic violence.
References
1. “Preventing Intimate Partner Violence |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Oct. 2020 www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/fastfact.html.
2.Boserup, Brad, et al. “Alarming Trends in US Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Elsevier Inc., Dec. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7195322/.
3.Evans, Megan L., et al. “A Pandemic within a Pandemic - Intimate Partner Violence during Covid-19: NEJM.” New England Journal of Medicine, 21 Apr. 2021, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046.
