Violence against women: tackling the other pandemic
Authors: None The Lancet Public Health
Journal: The Lancet Public Health (2022)

2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the campaign against gender-based violence. Violence against women is a global public health issue and one of the world's most prevalent human rights violations. According to WHO's Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to intimate partner violence (IPV), non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life. The UN defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”. Violence against women may take several forms, including IPV, sexual violence, physical violence by relatives, employers, or other individuals, femicides (including murders in the name of honour), cyber violence, trafficking, female genital mutilation, and child marriage. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified violence against women, as documented by the recent report by UN Women. Lockdown measures and disrupted support services have left many women isolated with their abusive partners at home, with tragic consequences. Reports from EU member states indicated a 60% increase in emergency calls about domestic violence during the first months of the pandemic. The Office for National Statistics reported a 6% increase in domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales, with the victim being a female in 73% of cases. IPV is by far the most widespread form of violence against women, affecting around 641 million women globally. It includes physical, sexual, emotional, financial, and psychological abuse by an intimate partner (current or former). IPV is also one of the most important causes of homelessness among women worldwide. In this issue of The Lancet Public Health, Alexa Yakubovich and colleagues review the effects of housing interventions on the physical, psychosocial, and economic wellbeing of women experiencing IPV and report that housing interventions are promising, particularly in terms of mental health-related outcomes, intent to leave partner, perceived safety, and housing and partner-related stress. But as Rachel Jewkes notes in her Comment, although housing interventions are provided in diverse settings, evaluations done in low-income and middle-income countries or rural settings in high-income countries are crucially lacking. Further research (quantitative and qualitative) into designing housing interventions that account for the heterogeneity of interventions, settings, and patterns of use is needed. The pandemic has increased demand for emergency and supportive housing services and has exposed shaky support systems for victims of gender-based violence. Women living with an abuser reported that the abuse had worsened during the pandemic, and an estimated fifth of women were unable to leave due to a lack of housing or refuge space. Remarkably, Spain has enacted a contingency plan to address the needs of IPV victims, including declaring support services and shelters as essential services and launching an information campaign. Ireland has taken a proactive approach, with police forces contacting previous domestic violence victims to check in and remind them that support is available. Violence against women can be prevented. Policies should be focusing on long-term change and multidimensional approaches that address the different factors that contribute to violence against women. RESPECT—a framework developed by WHO and UN Women—outlines strategies to prevent violence against women, with each letter representing a strategy. R for relationship skills strengthened, addressing unhealthy power dynamics, inequalities, and conflict management. E for empowerment of women (social and economic). S for services ensured (material and psychological support for survivors). P for poverty reduced, because violence and poverty are linked and can leave many women trapped in a vicious cycle. E for environments made safe (in schools, workplaces, or other public spaces). C for child and adolescent abuse prevented, stopping the intergenerational cycle of violence. T for transformed attitudes, beliefs, and norms. Reducing the prevalence and severity of violence against women is possible. Addressing the causes of violence is possible. Violence against women is preventable. It is time for increased investment to adapt and scale up evidence-based interventions. Policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and everyone in society have a crucial part to play to stop this pandemic. Evaluating housing interventions for women experiencing intimate partner violenceOver the past five decades, housing interventions have been a cornerstone of support globally for women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV).1 These interventions are crucial given that IPV is one of the most important causes of homelessness among women worldwide.2 Some women who have experienced IPV stay in shelters for months or years and use them to heal and move forward with their lives, whereas others stay for much shorter periods (ie, from days to weeks) to seek temporary respite and immediate safety. Full-Text PDF Open AccessHousing interventions for women experiencing intimate partner violence: a systematic reviewThere is promising evidence on the continuum of IPV-housing services for women, especially in terms of proximal outcomes, such as mental health, intent to leave partner, safety, and housing stress. However, more research of higher quality is needed, particularly on long-term housing solutions and from outside of the USA. Full-Text PDF Open AccessViolence against women in the PhilippinesViolence against women has intensified in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines is no exception.1 Community lockdowns can increase violence against women, and exceedingly stringent stay-at-home orders have trapped victims with their abusers. The one-household-one-quarantine-pass policy, inadequate public transportation, and strict curfews have restricted both mobility and the ability to seek help,1–3 as reflected by a 27·2% drop in reported cases to the Philippine National Police. Full-Text PDF Open Access