Domestic Violence, Gendered Power Relations, and the Spatial Dynamics of Femicide in Mexico City

The pandemic paradox: The consequences of COVID‐19 on domestic violence

The COVID-19 pandemic led to global social confinement that had a significant impact on people's lives. This includes changes such as increased loneliness and isolation, changes in sleep patterns and social habits, increased substance use and domestic violence, and decreased physical activities. In some cases, it has increased mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The objective of this study is to analyze the living conditions that arose during social confinement in the first wave of COVID-19 within a group of volunteers in Mexico City. This is a descriptive and cross-sectional analysis of the experiences of volunteers during social confinement from 20 March 2020 to 20 December 2020. The study analyzes the impact of confinement on family life, work, mental health, physical activity, social life, and domestic violence. A maximum likelihood generalized linear model is used to determine the association between domestic violence and demographic and health-related factors. The findings indicate that social confinement had a significant impact on the participants, resulting in difficulties within families and vulnerable conditions for individuals. Gender and social level differences were observed in work and mental health. Physical activity and social life were also modified. We found that suffering from domestic violence was significantly associated with being unmarried (OR = 1.4454, p-value = 0.0479), lack of self-care in feeding habits (OR = 2.3159, p-value = 0.0084), and most notably, having suffered from a symptomatic COVID-19 infection (OR = 4.0099, p-value = 0.0009). Despite public policy to support vulnerable populations during confinement, only a small proportion of the studied population reported benefiting from it, suggesting areas for improvement in policy. The findings of this study suggest that social confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the living conditions of people in Mexico City. Modified circumstances on families and individuals, included increased domestic violence. The results can inform policy decisions to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations during times of social confinement.

Over the last five years, the Australian state of Queensland has taken a strong policy stance on addressing the highly gendered cultural norms and values that facilitate men’s use of domestic violence against women. This stance is supported by contemporary feminist scholarship, which demonstrates that addressing the cultural facilitators of domestic violence—and particularly those that relate to gender—must form a critical aspect of any policy attempt to prevent domestic violence. However, given that cultural frameworks have not yet been widely adopted and evaluated in government policy, considerably less is known about how such policies play out in practice. This is problematic, as existing evidence points to numerous complexities that, if not managed effectively, may undermine the effectiveness of domestic violence policies that seek to change culture. These complexities relate to conflicting government aims and rationalities; the deeply embedded nature of cultural expectations surrounding gender; and the complex relationship between cultural norms and values, broader social structures, and individual behaviours.Drawing on Queensland as a case study, I examine how the Queensland Government manages the aforementioned complexities in its contemporary domestic violence policies. My examination answers the following research questions: (1) How can governments informed by neoliberal rationalities legitimately intervene in the culture of the communities they govern? (2) How can governments ensure that policies aiming to change cultural expectations are not themselves underpinned by cultural assumptions that are incongruent with feminist literature? (3) How can governments effectively engage with cultural facilitators of domestic violence without marginalising other important contributing factors? By answering these questions, I aim to contribute to existing knowledge regarding the strengths and limitations of policies that seek to change culture, and how such policies may be improved to more effectively prevent domestic violence.To answer my research questions, I analyse the Queensland Government’s contemporary domestic violence policies using Fairclough’s three-dimensional critical discourse analysis framework. I draw on data from Queensland Government domestic violence policies released since the development of the Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in 2015. I also draw data from 15 qualitative interviews that I conducted with members of the policy community who were involved in the policy development process. Participants included government employees from various Queensland state departments (n=7), CEOs (n=3) and employees (n=3) from various community services and support organisations, and academics from various educational institutions and disciplinary backgrounds (n=2). While the policy document analysis allowed me to analyse the explicit and implicit messages and assumptions underpinning the policies, the qualitative interviews allowed me to consider the power relations at play throughout the policymaking process and examine who had the power to contribute to the policies and to what effect.Ultimately, my study identifies three main barriers that undermine the Queensland Government’s relatively progressive domestic violence policy approach. First, in order to legitimise its intervention in the cultural sphere and distance itself from direct intervention in citizens’ private lives, the Queensland Government adopts the strategy of governing through community. In doing so, the government conceptualises the community as comprising of particular discrete groups. This conceptualisation has important implications for which community members are or are not targeted and engaged in the policies. Second, the Queensland Government policies specifically highlight the need for the community to change cultural norms and values relating to gender; however, the policies leverage existing, deeply-engrained gender ideologies as a way of promoting this goal. As a result, while the policies may help the community to recognise and challenge more explicit manifestations of gendered cultural expectations, they also help to reinforce the more implicit and highly pervasive cultural and structural inequalities that have underpinned women’s historic marginalisation in society. Finally, in focusing on the importance of changing community culture, the Queensland Government policies largely overlook the importance of changing the attitudes and behaviours of perpetrators themselves. This has resulted in a lack of sanctions and supports to assist perpetrators to change, as well as a broad under-prioritisation of primary prevention strategies.Findings from this research provide critical insight into the barriers that may undermine domestic violence policy approaches that aim to change cultural norms and values. This research is particularly timely given the increasing recognition in feminist scholarship that domestic violence policies should aim to change cultural norms and values. My analysis of Queensland’s domestic violence policies therefore offers practical insight for the Queensland Government itself to consider for future reforms, as well as important lessons for other Australian and international jurisdictions that aspire to end domestic violence through policies that aim to change culture.

The COVID-19 pandemic has serious destructive consequential effects worldwide, particularly in deaths and economic burdens. Travel restrictions, social isolation, stay-at-home orders, and quarantines were adopted to curb the spread of the virus and minimize harm. Due to its proximity and the number of flights arriving from China, Taiwan was expected to have the second highest number of cases after the index outbreak location.1 Experience from the previous SARS epidemic in 2003 enabled Taiwan to respond quickly in recognizing the crisis and activating emergency management structures. Managing the crisis through implementation of border control, case identification by new technology, efficient quarantine of suspicious cases, proactive case finding, and equitable resource allocation system,1 have saved Taiwan, a country with a population of 23.58 million, from the risk of the second-highest importation to 451 cases of COVID-19, presenting with a low case fatality rate at approximately 1.55%, as of July 10 2020.2 However, lockdown, social distancing, and stay-at-home policies are leading to increased vulnerabilities regarding mental health. Serious psychological repercussions such as fear, frustration, and boredom are associated with post-traumatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression during these social isolation periods.3 The aforementioned mental health issues are closely associated with domestic violence, and adds to the catastrophic milieu. The rise of alcohol consumption and alcohol sales4 during the COVID-19 pandemic has also been cause for alarming given its relationsip to domestic violence. More than half of domestic violence perpetrators are reported to have been affected by alcohol at the time of the incident.4 Domestic violence refers to a range of violations emanating from the household and within relationships defined by familial or emotional (former or present) attachment. A global surge in domestic violence cases since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has been noticed, particularly in countries with high numbers of COVID-19 reported cases, such as United States, Argentina, France, Cyprus, and Singapore.5 Although Taiwan has been declared relatively safe from a formidable outbreak of COVID-19, cases of domestic violence have also spiked. A 5% increase of domestic violence cases, from 30 470 to 32 000 cases compared with the same period last year, was observed in Taiwan in the first quarter of 2020, as reported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Department of Protective Services.6 The number of domestic violence incidents reported to police increased 13% in the first quarter of 2020, from 18 408 cases to 20 924 cases, compared with the same period last year.7 Various counties/cities have experienced greater impacts of domestic violence, for instance, an increase of incidences of almost 30% arose in March in New Taipei City. Although stay-at-home orders were not implemented in Taiwan, people were encouraged to self-isolate at home to reduce social contact, and the pandemic made it difficult for people to reach out to their social networks. Heightened stress from families spending more time at home in cramped conditions, the disruption of protective networks, and the inaccessible of public services, may further exacerbate domestic violence. The economic crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic is raising huge challenges worldwide. Amid the pandemic crisis, Taiwan's adjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.1% in April 2020 and this was the highest jobless rate since 2013.8 To avoid laying off employees directly, employers have been allowed to negotiate with employees to reduce working hours, so-called "volunteer for unpaid leave". The number of employees who passively volunteered for unpaid leave increased to 18 840 in April 2020 and was the highest number since 2009 when the legislation was enacted in Taiwan. We preliminarily examined the impact of COVID-19 confirmed cases and number of employees with unpaid leave on the number of domestic violence in all 22 counties and cities in Taiwan. Undoubtedly, higher numbers of COVID-19 confirmed cases corresponded with higher numbers of employees passively volunteered for unpaid leave in that county/city (r(14) = 0.915, P < 0.001). Results of the Pearson correlation indicated that there were significant positive associations between domestic violence detected by police and number of COVID-19 confirmed cases (r(14) = 0.649, P = 0.006), as well as the number of employees with unpaid leave (r(20) = 0.497, P = 0.019). The higher number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and employees with unpaid leave in the county/city saw a higher prevalence of reported domestic violence. The rise in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic was not only seen in the countries with higher numbers of cases, but also in countries experiencing social distancing like Taiwan. Of note, it is not only economic crisis that contributes to domestic violence with forced proximity itself also being a risk factor.9 Stressful life events during the COVID-19 pandemic, accompanied by economic pressure, injury, and illness, may exacerbate preexisting familial conflicts. The reported number of domestic violence is always underestimated and the impact of COVID-19 on domestic violence noticed currently is just the tip of the iceberg. While we are still grappling with the novel coronavirus, it is crucial to address the issue of the rise in domestic violence and take an actionable step forward, for instance, increasing accessibility to public resources through new technology and mental health resource allocation. At least, as the UK Government suggests, guidance on social isolation does not apply if you need to leave your home to escape domestic violence.10 Besides providing reimbursements for economic loss, early screening and identification of those vulnerable to domestic violence, particularly those infected with COVID-19, experiencing unpaid leave or disruption of social networks, are warranted in this pandemic period. Appropriate screening tools should be more readily available and first responders, physicians and other healthcare personal need to be made aware of the potential for increased domestic violence. Social media outlets should be used to raise awareness of the psychological repercussions of social isolation. Telehealth-related service should be expanded during this pandemic, including the accessibility to 24/7 public health service through teleconference, initial screening and psychiatric evaluation by videoconference, and telemedicine services for those in home isolation and quarantine. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Domestic violence persists as a significant social challenge affecting a considerable number of women globally. Some scholars have ascribed the inclination toward domestic violence to a "cycle of violence" spanning generations, while others have pointed out structural inequalities. Feminist researchers contend that a comprehensive understanding necessitates exploration within the social and institutional realms of gender inequality. While each of these perspectives contributes significantly to comprehending domestic violence, individually, they might not unveil the complete causal narrative. This study endeavors to address this gap by proposing an integrated model to elucidate domestic violence in the context of Türkiye, examining (a) the correlation between growing up in a violent household and the susceptibility to domestic violence, (b) the interrelation between structural factors and the vulnerability to domestic violence, and (c) the connection between a woman's advantageous position in terms of the couple's relative resources and the likelihood of experiencing domestic violence. To achieve this objective, multivariate micro-level analyses were conducted using nationally representative data from the 2014 Research on Domestic Violence Against Women in Türkiye. The outcomes affirm the significance of all three approaches, highlighting the value of integrated methodologies for a more profound comprehension of the etiology of domestic violence. This insight is crucial for the development of effective prevention programs. Furthermore, the findings highlight intra-parental violence exposure as the most robust risk factor or predictor for subsequent involvement in violent intimate relationships. As the initial study in Türkiye encompasses early-life experiences, structural inequalities, and the relative resources of couples, this research is poised to contribute significantly to the existing body of literature on domestic violence.

Safeguarding Children and Young People During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

ObjectivesThis scoping review aims to assess the situation of violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, mainly in Brazil. MethodsThis study consists of a Scoping Review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. To conduct this review, we mapped scientific evidence on domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The inclusion criteria were: journal articles on domestic violence set in Latin American countries, particularly Brazil, in the context of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, published between March 2020 and June of 2021. Articles that were not published in journals, studies focusing on child violence or the elderly population, suicide-related approaches, editorials and letters to readers were excluded. The databases used were: National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Embase, COVID-19 Global literature on coronavirus disease, Scopus Preview, Web of Science, LILAC's, Database of the best Evidence-Based Health (Epistemonikos) with the following strategic keywords: "domestic violence" "female'/exp OR female" "domestic violence AND women" "SARS-CoV-19") AND ("domestic violence") SARS-CoV-2" OR "2020-nCoV". The databases above were accessed in July 2021. The articles selected from the databases were synthetized following the double-check procedure and the topics that were most relevant to the subject discussed were separated. The articles used were in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. ResultsWe discussed domestic violence against women in the context of social isolation, showing a significant increase and highlighting aggravating factors - financial instability, exacerbation of the female workload, increase in drug and alcohol consumption, lack of access to care services - and statistics that demonstrate the significant increase in countries such as Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay and Brazil, especially in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, among other states. Despite the meaningful increase in the number of cases and the aggravating factors for domestic violence against women in Latin America and Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality of underreporting, resulting, among others, from limited legal, social and economic support and the lack of well-prepared intersectoral services may be a limitation in this scenario, since the situation can be even more acute. We presented measures adopted in Brazil and alternatives to confront the critical situation of domestic violence against women, aggravated by social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.The 18 most relevant articles were read twice by each author, following the “Double-Check” protocol. The articles used addressed important questions around the established goals: (a) characteristics of the current scenarios in Latin America and, specifically, in Brazil, with regard to violence against women; (b) factors that intensify this type of violence; (c) numbers that demonstrate an increase in cases; and finally (e) strategies to combat domestic violence against women. A total of 595 articles were found, then, based on the abstracts presented, 18 articles were used to write this scoping review.

Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic had brought unexpected challenges in all sectors of life, from the social, economic to health sectors, particularly public health. One of the most worrying effects of Covid-19 is the increase in cases of domestic violence. Aim : This scoping review was to determine trends in domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic and strategies for handling it Method The method used in this paper is the Scoping Review study. We searched for relevant articles on 4 databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest and EBSco), in English, published in 2019-2021. Of the 434 articles identified, there were 6 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Result There were 6 themes we got related to domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic, namely: 1) The number of cases of domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic; 2) Risk factors for domestic violence; 3) Victims and perpetrators of domestic violence; 4) Types of domestic violence; 5) Impact of domestic violence; 6) Strategies for handling domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion The Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on domestic violence cases, where the majority of victims were women and most of whom experienced recurrent domestic violence. The majority of the articles in this scoping review were quantitative research, we recommend that future research can be examined deeper into the understanding, experiences and needs of victims and perpetrators of domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic including the roles of cross-sectors and obstacles experienced in handling domestic violence in the future. the covid-19 pandemic. The results of this study are expected to provide input in making policies related to the prevention and reduction of domestic violence cases during the Covid-19 pandemic.

P.1.k.012 Detecting domestic violence: the use of revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-2) in Italy

Global understandings of domestic violence

Sexual violence is a degrading act against a person's body without consent that causes physical, psychological and sexual suffering. Meanwhile, acts of domestic violence include physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individual social space is limited and creates economic pressure which has implications for cases of sexual violence and domestic violence in Indonesia. This study aims to determine the incidence of unnatural deaths before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used a descriptive method with a retrospective study design using medical records from 805 victims of sexual violence and 520 victims of domestic violence. The population of this study were victims of sexual violence and domestic violence (2017-2021) who were examined at the POLRI Hospital East Jakarta according to inclusion criteria. The results showed that the frequency of victims of sexual violence cases was 805 victims and domestic violence was 520 victims. The frequency of victims in cases of sexual violence occurred the most in 2020 or during the COVID-19 pandemic as many as 236 victims. Based on gender, the most cases were women as many as 222 victims occurred in 2020. The age range of the most sexual violence cases occurred in 2020 with an age range of 12-16 years as many as 99 victims. The highest frequency of victims in domestic violence cases occurred in 2020 or during the COVID-19 pandemic as many as 161 victims. Based on gender, the most women as many as 133 victims occurred in 2020. The age range of the most domestic violence cases occurred in 2021 with an age range of 26-35 as many as 55 victims. It can be concluded that the incidence of sexual violence and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on conventional crime and organized crime in Mexico City, Mexico.Methods: Mexico City’s Attorney General’s Office reported crime data, covering domestic violence, burglary, robbery, vehicle-theft, assault-battery, homicides, kidnapping, and extortion. We use an event study for the intertemproal variation across the 16 districts (municipalities) in Mexico City for 2019 and 2020.Results: We find a sharp decrease on crimes related to domestic violence, burglary, and vehicle theft; a decrease during some weeks on crimes related to assaultbattery and extortion, and no effects on crimes related to robbery, kidnapping, and homicides.Conclusions: While our results show a decline in conventional crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, organized crime remains steady. These findings have policy implications for catastrophic events around the world, as well as possible national security issues in Mexico.

The influence of Palestinian physicians’ patriarchal ideology (PAI) and exposure to family violence (EFV) on their beliefs about wife beating was examined. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 396 physicians. The results revealed that notable percentages of the physicians expressed some level of willingness to justify wife beating, tendency to believe that battered women benefit from beating, and that battered women are to blame for their beating. Nevertheless, between 27 and 59 % of the physicians expressed some willingness to help battered women. The results also revealed that significant amounts of the variance in physicians’ beliefs about wife beating can be attributed to their PAI and to their EFV during childhood and adolescence..The implications of the results for future research, theory development, and training of physicians are discussed.

Domestic violence is a common phenomenon all over the world and in every environment, regardless of the level of education, material conditions, place of residence, race, or even religion. Historically viewed as a private issue, domestic violence is now recognized as a gender-based crime and is a significant public health problem affecting the well-being of victims, their families and communities. Numerous evidence shows that domestic and sexual violence escalate in times of disasters and pandemics. One of the main reasons for the escalation of domestic violence during the period of anomie is social isolation, economic instability, loss of income and related stress, as well as chaos and change of legislation, including the introduction of introduction of restrictions. Such periods of forced intimacy between partners extend the time they spend together and make it more difficult for victims of domestic violence to “escape” from home. The aim of the article is to present both the scale of the phenomenon of violence in a global perspective and the actions taken in selected countries, including Poland and Ukraine, for the victims of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research focuses on the following questions: What is the scale of the phenomenon of violence during a pandemic? What measures have countries taken to support victims of violence? The article is based on the monographic method, an analysis of available scientific sources (published in English, Polish and Ukrainian) describing the diagnosed phenomenon. The article may contribute to further research and reflection on this issue, especially in the current political situation in the world (war in Ukraine), which is conducive to aggressive behaviour.

Background: Sexual violence is widespread, affects women of all cultures globally, breeds in silence, and finds legitimacy through cultural norms. Proprietors are partners, husbands, family, and friends. It may be domestic violence (DV), sexual (SV), a serious violation of women’s rights as human beings. It is an important cause of physical, psychological and sexual reproductive health problems. Aims of the study: the aim is assessing domestic sexual violence on women's reproductive health during the coronavirus pandemic. Methodology: A descriptive analytical study was conducted on women exposed to physical domestic violence. Non Probabilistic Intentional sample of (150) of women exposed to violence by a member of her family through the questionnaire for the period of 26th Jun to 28th Feb, 2020. The information was collected by filling out the questionnaire, and the validity and reliability were determined through the exploratory study, and descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used in analyzing the data. Results: The result of the study showed that the highest percentage (79.4%) of the study sample members ranged in was at age group (20 to 34) years, most of whom were housewives, three- quarters of the study sample had a low educational level, and half of the study sample had a low socioeconomic status, and that the number of births ranging (2-5) children and more. Conclusion: The results indicated that two-thirds of the study sample suffers of impact sexual domestic violence on them during childbearing age. Recommendations: The study recommends that women be screened for any type of domestic violence during childbearing age. Incorporating domestic violence topics into education curricula, using social media, the availability of health services, and supporting the strengthening of cooperation between social agencies, justice and the police through law enforcement and research to promote and protect women's rights.