Home was not a safe haven: women’s experiences of intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

Abstract

Background Emergency situations, including epidemics, increase incidence of violence against women, especially intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper describes specific scenarios of IPV reported by women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria to provide insight for policy and programmatic efforts. Methods This paper draws on seven de-identified case reports from organisations serving women experiencing IPV as well as media coverage of IPV cases in Nigeria, between April and May, 2020. Results In most cases, reports identified IPV that was occurring prior to the lockdown, but increased in severity or involved new types of violence during the lockdown. The case scenarios included descriptions of many forms of IPV commonly reported, including physical, economic, psychological and sexual violence, often concurrently. Several women also reported threats of being thrown out of their homes by perpetrators, which threatens women’s ability to protect themselves from exposure to COVID-19, but could also leave women stranded with no access to transportation, social services, or other resources during the lockdown. Several women also reported IPV that involved custody of children, as well as IPV that disrupted women’s income generation. IPV was also reported in relation to economic stressors associated with the lockdown. Reports highlight how the lockdown disrupted women’s social support, hindering accessibility of formal and informal sources of help. Conclusion The lockdowns in Nigeria may have inadvertently placed women already experiencing partner violence at risk for experiencing more severe violence, new challenges to cope with violent experiences, and other forms of violence, including violence that used the lockdown as a way to threaten women’s security and ability to protect themselves from the virus. Hence, there is need for innovative approaches to support victims, with emphasis on ways in which perpetrators of IPV may be using the threat of COVID-19 to further gain power and control over partners.

Violência contra a mulher por parceiro íntimo na pandemia de COVID-19: magnitude e fatores associados

“…Com relação a ocorrência de IPV durante a pandemia de COVID-19, observou-se que todos os estudos evidenciaram situações abusivas perpetradas pelo parceiro íntimo (Aolymat, 2021;Fawole et al, 2021;Gebrewahd et al, 2020;Gosangi et al, 2021;Haq, Raza & Mahmood, 2020;Krishnamurti et al, 2021;Mahmood et al, 2021;Naghizadeh, Mirghafourvand, Mohammadirad, 2021;Pattojoshi et al, 2021;Sabri et al, 2020). As taxas de IPV durante o período pandêmico variaram entre 18,1% na Índia (Pattojoshi et al, 2021) até 38,7% no Iraque (Mahmood et al, 2021).…”

“…Muitos fatores podem ser elencados como fatores de risco para VIP contra mulheres, tais como: baixo nível de escolaridade, juventude, ser separada ou divorciada do agressor (Rosa, Ramos, Gomes, Melo, & Melo, 2018) e a ocorrência de situações de emergência como epidemias (Fawole, Okedare, & Reed, 2021). As epidemias podem impactar a vida social e econômica das pessoas, favorecendo o aumento da violência contra as mulheres, como ocorreu durante as epidemias do vírus Ebola e Zika (Agüero, 2020;Fawole, Okedare, & Reed, 2021).…”

“…Similarmente ao que houve em epidemias anteriores, a pandemia de COVID-19, ocasionada pelo vírus SARS-CoV-2, também acarretou um notável aumento dos casos de IPV contra mulher em todo o mundo (Fawole et al, 2021;Gebrewahd, Gebremeskel, & Tadesse, 2020). Diante deste cenário, compreender a magnitude e os fatores associados da IPV contra a mulher durante a pandemia da COVID-19 poderão auxiliar no planejamento de estratégias que previnam/combatam a ocorrência dos atos violentos no momento pandêmico, além de colaborar para o planejamento de ações que assegurem a assistência às mulheres vítimas de VIP em outras situações de emergência semelhante.…”

Reported health and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations and implemented solutions in six West African countries: A media content analysis

“…describes the impact of the pandemic on the mental well-being of the urban poor in African countries, including Ghana, gathered from survey results [ 14 ]. Another study in Nigeria details case reports of intimate partner violence against women in relation to economic stressors induced by the pandemic [ 15 ]. However, extensive research on the effects of the pandemic on these vulnerable populations in West Africa has been limited.…”

Fisiopatologia, Nutrição E Litiase Renal: Uma Revisão De Literatura

“…encontrado em pesquisas realizadas em períodos antecedentes a pandemia, onde a maioria das mulheres que sofreram este tipo de violência estavam separadas ou divorciadas do seu agressor (BARROS et al, 2016;LEITE et al, 2017). Essa divergência pode ser atribuída ao fato de que as medidas de isolamento social, como forma de controlar a disseminação do vírus SARS-CoV-2, aumentaram o tempo de permanência dos parceiros no domicílio (FAWOLE;OKEDARE;REED, 2021). O lar é frequentemente um local de medo e abuso, além disso, o contato próximo durante as 24 horas do dia pode ocasionar estresse no ambiente familiar e consequentemente favorecer a ocorrência de episódios de VIP (MARQUES et al, 2020;ROESCH;AVNI;GUPTA, 2020).…”