Isolation and abuse: The intersection of Covid19 and domestic violence

Abstract

Amid the global lockdowns, the surge in domestic violence cases has been one of the distressing consequences of the Covid19 pandemic [1]. Isolation, stress, and economic distress amongst other factors have all contributed to an increase in this form of abuse. Women have been subjected to discrimination and abuse for around 2700 years, and a clear example of such discrimination can be seen in the form of laws operating in 753 BCE that allowed the disciplining of wives [2]. The matter of domestic abuse started receiving recognition in the 1970s when it became a compulsion on all the certified hospitals by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations to refer patients of domestic abuse to authorities after treating them [3].