The Role of Service Providers, Technology, and Mass Media When Home Isn't Safe for Intimate Partner Violence Victims: Best Practices and Recommendations in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

Abstract

DV refers to violence within a home, including child abuse, elder abuse, and IPV; IPV is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviours by an intimate partner" (2012, p. 1; see also Stark, 2007). Given that IPV falls under the umbrella of domestic violence, we use both terms throughout this Commentary. 2 The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (2020) uses the term "'survivor' to refer to someone who has gone through the recovery process" (para. 3). We use the term victim to refer to a woman who is being or has recently been victimized by a current or former partner (perpetrator).

Domestic Violence in a COVID-19 Context: Exploring Emerging Issues through a Systematic Analysis of the Literature

“…Additional challenges are faced by survivors of DV due to "race", ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age inequalities (Pentaraki, 2017). These are issues which will need to be considered through an intersectional approach (Slakoff et al, 2020) in order to respond appropriately to DV and furthermore necessitate well-funded services which in many countries have been undermined by austerity (O'Hara, 2015;Pentaraki, 2013a). There is a concern that COVID-19 government spending will be used as a pretext to impose further austerity cuts and thus further undermine existing social services, such as those related to addressing domestic violence, in the same way that the financial crisis was used as a pretext for social spending cuts (Pentaraki, 2013c(Pentaraki, , 2019b(Pentaraki, , 2019c.…”

Archives at 50 Years

“… 1 Apart from the proposed submissions for the Special Section on COVID-19, which were screened by the Guest Editors and me, the Journal is also receiving a fair share of regular submissions addressing the interface between the pandemic and sexology-related matters (e.g., Kocher, Délot-Vilain, Spencer, LoTempio, & Délot, 2021 ), as well several Letters to the Editor. To date, we have also published one Guest Editorial (van der Miesen, Raaijmakers, & van de Grift, 2020 ) and two commentaries pertaining to the pandemic (Döring, 2020 ; Slakoff, Aujla, & PenzeyMoog, 2020 ). Admittedly, a miniscule contribution to the 95,011 COVID-19 entries in PubMed as of January 23, 2021.…”

Sheltered-In-Place: Domestic Violence during COVID-19

“…6,7 Reported abuse mechanisms during the pandemic include the gatekeeping of information about public health measures, the virus itself, and restricting access to essential hygiene products such as sanitizer, hand soap and masks. 12,13 With more access to their victims than ever, the COVID-19 pandemic becomes the perfect platform for abusers to further intensify their coercive control and manipulation.…”

“…Further research is needed to understand women's experiences with IPV during this time and how abuse mechanisms can be manipulated due to COVID-19 measures is absolutely key for policy makers and outreach workers to figure out what is essential for not only safety during the pandemic, but also for sheltered-in domestic violence victims.⁷ Social workers are encouraged for the use of in-depth conversations and codewords during risk assessments and recognize the increased presence or technological monitoring of abusers when conducting risk assessments online or on the phone. 12,16 Internetbased platforms for outreach also need to be inclusive to abused women who may have difficulty navigating help services due to language barriers, and include a way for victims to exit the page quickly in case of technological monitoring. 6,12 Increased funding for women's shelters can allow for victims to escape abuse while maintaining public safety guidelines,¹⁷ and provide them the essential needs for rehabilitation and healing during the pandemic.…”

“…12,16 Internetbased platforms for outreach also need to be inclusive to abused women who may have difficulty navigating help services due to language barriers, and include a way for victims to exit the page quickly in case of technological monitoring. 6,12 Increased funding for women's shelters can allow for victims to escape abuse while maintaining public safety guidelines,¹⁷ and provide them the essential needs for rehabilitation and healing during the pandemic.…”