Throughout March-April 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the headlines of every newspaper and media outlet. Not only has this crisis had a massive impact on the global economy and our way of life, but it has also been accompanied by increased threats and incidences of domestic violence worldwide. The present brief tracks the media coverage of domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis from 1 March to 15 April 2020 with an aim of creating awareness about this phenomenon induced by the crisis. This is the first round of the media tracking exercise on domestic violence, as part of both the Rapid Research Response to COVID-19 project as well as the ongoing research on Sustaining Power for Women’s Rights that BIGD is undertaking in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the University of Sussex with support from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Among others, the brief recommends Government and NGO health outreach staff to assist in identifying domestic violence incidences and facilitate complaints and reporting. It also states that information on Government and non-government violence complaints hotlines and mechanisms should be promoted and made widely available.
Author: Mahpara, Pragyna
Type: Research Update
Year: 2020
