“It was Like a Volcano Erupted”: Community-Based Advocates’ Observations of Intimate Partner Violence and Intimate Femicide in Alabama During COVID-19

Abstract

This study examines how community-based advocates describe their observations of women in Alabama experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) during COVID-19 and the impacts on their roles as service providers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants from six agencies covering 22 counties in Alabama, to investigate contributing factors of IPV during the initial phases of the coronavirus pandemic and to share their experiences in providing services to survivors during this historic time. Along with existing barriers, COVID-19 introduced new and exacerbating factors for women experiencing violence and for those attempting to provide services. Advocates observed that pandemic-influenced circumstances such as confinement, isolation, and economic instability exacerbated certain types of violence and that Black women, immigrant women, and women in rural areas faced heightened barriers. Advocates also revealed a relationship between these heightened barriers brought on by COVID-19 and their own experiences of isolation, grief, and a yearning for connection. These findings reveal the pertinent needs of survivors and advocates as we move through, forward, and beyond this global pandemic.