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How Covid-19 may increase domestic violence and child abuse. By Ashley Abramson

The article “How Covid-19 may increase domestic violence and child abuse” written by Ashley Abramson was published on 8th April 2020. It follows the national crisis that is ramping up stress among families and couples in the face of a pandemic and its impact on sexual and age minorities. In the article, psychologists, identify the risk factors as well as resources that can be employed to salvage the situation. Like many nations in the world, Americans took up measures to minimize the risk of exposure and for everyone’s safety including staying at home when the pandemic emerged (Kumar & Nayar, 817). However, for many survivors and victims of violence, including children, staying at home may not be a safe option after all. The unprecedented stress resulting from the pandemic bred unsafety and violence even in homes where violence was not an issue before the pandemic began. With the issue of partner violence being on the rise, statistics from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 in every 4 men and 1 in every 3 women have encountered violence from their partner in their lifetime and the risks are gravely severe (Piquero, et al. 620). This shows the extent to which domestic violence is fast becoming a killer issue in society and how the matter should be handled urgently. The motive behind selecting this article has to do with the fact that I like it interesting and I agree with the ideas fronted by the author. Further, the article introduces me to new perspectives of the impact of the pandemic in relation to gender-based violence that I had not encountered before.

From my standpoint, several situations motivated the writer to come up with this article. They drew motivation from the growing numbers of individuals who are victims of violence including women, children, and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) individuals. This is not to mean that there were no violations prior to the pandemic. It should be noted that issues of violence have existed in society long before the pandemic emerged. However, the measures taken to reduce community transmission of the virus including social distancing, isolation, and working from home and home-schooling, puts minority groups at even greater risks of being violated and in some cases being killed in the process. The author notes that 1 in every 6 victims of homicide is killed by spouses or partners. These numbers are worrying and unless action is taken to curtail the trend, the number is bound to increase in the face of a pandemic. Another issue that motivated the author to cover this societal issue is the adverse mental and health effects that are associated with violence. Children are at higher risk of developing depression, chronic disease, post-traumatic stress disorders, risky sexual behavior, and drug and substance abuse.

The writer’s purpose of undertaking this topic is to bring awareness to society and bring involved actors together in resolving the issue before it exacerbates to a point where little can be done. The writer prompts the readers to think about the best solutions that can be adopted to prevent children from suffering abuse at the hands of people who have the responsibility of protecting them. The writer uses their voice to reach all actors involved including the government, United Nations actors, psychologists, and social service organizations to pull resources together and provide emergency relief to survivors of violence in response to the rising cases. Additionally, the writer prompts the readers to be creative in responding to the vice being that social distance is the new norm. The writer also insists on the need to provide free psychosocial support to survivors of violence.

The author’s main claim is the increased risk of child abuse and domestic abuse associated with the emergence of all pandemics including the covid-19 pandemic. Serrata says “We found social factors that put people more at risk for violence are reduced access to resources, increased stress due to job loss pr strained finances and disconnection from social support systems” This stresses the author’s claim that these factors foster violence and exacerbate child abuse in the face of a pandemic. The author also makes a minor claim that in addition to the already existing tension, children also encounter their own uncertainty and stress about the pandemic. They are not attending school, they miss their friends and they are not allowed to socialize at home since it puts them at risk of infection. Parents are likely to respond aggressively to the anxious behavior of their children.

Concerning the audience, it is clear that the author drafted the article with the general public in mind. This includes parents, teachers, mental health practitioners, sociologists, social service organizations among others. The jargon used in the article is non-elitist meaning that it can be understood by the general population. The author is meant to bring attention to all involved parties to the worsening problem of child abuse and to prompt them to brainstorm and take up stern action to curtail the vice. The writer mentions a few groups in the article that point to the intended audience. For instance, she writes that Jackson said “all parents should be focusing on keeping their stress as low as possible such as limiting exposure to media and taking walks.” This shows that parents are central in this plan and reducing stress also reduces the risk of abusing and neglecting their children. Looking at the text’s structure, it is evident the author wrote the article with the general public in mind.

Works Cited

Kumar, Anant, and K. Rajasekharan Nayar. “COVID 19 and its mental health consequences.” Journal of Mental Health 180.6 (2020): 817-8.

Piquero, Alex R., et al. “Staying home, staying safe? A short-term analysis of COVID-19 on Dallas domestic violence.” American Journal of Criminal Justice 45.4 (2020): 601-635.

Source: https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/domestic-violence-child-abuse