Improving prevention of family violence during (and after) disaster: Lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

As feared by many, our dedicated actions to slow the spread of COVID-19 significantly impacted reporting for most forms of family violence. This concerning decline in reports was greatest during periods of lockdown, when risk of abuse was likely at its highest. A new theory termed, Opportunity to Abuse Theory, helps explain why family violence increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and after most prior natural disasters. The theory focuses on reducing opportunity to abuse by reducing victim vulnerability and increasing perpetrator accountability. Additional actions to improve detection of and reduce risk for family violence, such as improving partnerships with animal welfare organizations (animal abuse reporting was not as impacted during lockdown), enlisting the aid of non-traditional family violence report sources, better utilizing hotels to provide safety when shelter space is limited, and ensuring texting options for reporting abuse, must be considered during and after disaster.