When staying at home can mean danger

Abstract

Lockdown measures leave no life unaffected. The world is in unchartered territory, and many of us are struggling to adjust to a life that seemed unimaginable a few short months ago.
While all of us are impacted, we know that when the whole world shifts, the burden is not distributed equally. Instead, those already marginalised and at risk are often placed in further danger. For women, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse, it is not an exaggeration to say that lockdown measures may truly be a living nightmare.
As well as the numbers of new covid cases and deaths each day, countries are reporting other devastating figures – increases in domestic abuse. The first indication was from Hubei province in China, the heart of the initial outbreak, where one county reported a three-fold increase in calls to their domestic abuse helpline (The Guardian 28 March 2020). As the virus sweeps across the world, other countries are showing a similarly alarming story. (New York Times, 6 April 2020) Domestic homicides in the UK are believe to have more than doubled since the beginning of the outbreak. (The Guardian, 15 April 2020)