Rise in domestic violence likely due to lockdown
The prevalence rate of domestic violence in the Caribbean and the use of corporal punishment as a means of disciplining children in the region increases the possibility of domestic violence becoming the “shadow epidemic of COVID-19”.
That’s the view of Laurence Telson, Operations Senior Specialist, Gender and Diversity Division, Inter-American Development Bank. She made the suggestion while speaking recently in the latest webinar hosted by the Caribbean Country Department of the Inter-American Development Bank, as panellists discussed the topic of ‘The Caribbean and Coronavirus: Family Violence’
“It is not caused by COVID itself, but because of the confinement measures that are exacerbating an already dire situation. As I said, people are confined in close quarters, parents are anxious, children are underfoot and bored – so all of these makes the sort of perfect, if I can use that term, environment for the increase in family violence,” she explained.
Her comments came as she referred to data on intimate partner violence in the Caribbean, which was collected between 2016 and 2019 from Haiti, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, which revealed that on average one in three women reported that they suffered from emotional abuse such as verbal insults, intimidation and public humiliation from their partners; and one in five women reported physical abuse at the hands of their partners. Telson, added that in patriarchal societies such as those in the Caribbean, which are now closed or restricted, isolated, anxious and stressed potential abusers find themselves without an outlet and can become more aggressive as they search for means of power and control.
“...Research has shown that children who reside in houses where intimate partner violence occurs, those children are more likely to experience abuse as well. In the Caribbean child abuse has a gender side to it that makes the situation even more acute. Corporal punishment, which is child abuse, we know that boys suffer more from physical abuse in the Caribbean than girls. They are punished more severely and consistently for the same infractions. So you have these two issues coupled together – intimate partner violence and child abuse in the setting where people are confined and they feel stressed, and more likely to have negative outlooks,” she said.
The IDB official’s remarks came as she indicated that the effects of child abuse and intimate partner violence are long term, which is worrying. She added that there is strong evidence that child victims of physical or sexual abuse are at a greater risk of replicating such behaviours when they become adults. Even while that is the case, she maintained that family violence is preventable. She said how we handle this current situation will have “ripple effects” for years to come.
Adding to her comments, Clinical Psychologist and Caribbean Therapist, Dr. Peter Weller reiterated that of concern is that during the lockdown, we are going to have increased opportunities for the stressors to affect individuals. Given that, he said that it is important that the victims of such violence have a safety plan, even in this global pandemic.
“The theme of having a plan is every important... a safety plan, an escape plan, a backpack, phone calls, individuals who know your situation and are apprised of what might be happening, are all critical. But when you are in a situation that you can’t escape, such as in a lockdown, you also have to secure your environment. There are lots of tips about putting away weapons, having somewhere to hide that you can lock etc.,” he added. (JRT)