Meanings of food and experiences of food insecurity among survivors accessing violence against women services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Violence against women (VAW) poses a serious threat to the psychological and physical health of women. Food insecurity is both a cause and outcome of VAW, with further consequences for women's health. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated economic insecurity and, as a result, the cycle of VAW and food insecurity, demonstrating that VAW survivors have multifaceted needs when healing from situations of violence.

Objectives: To explore meanings of food and experiences of food insecurity among VAW survivors accessing supportive services during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of informing holistic and trauma-informed service delivery.

Design: This analysis is based on qualitative data collected as part of the mixed-methods community-based Marginalization and COVID-19 (MARCO)-VAW study.

Methods: We applied reflexive thematic analysis to qualitative interview data from 10 survivor participants who accessed VAW services in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and supplemented it with interview data from 18 staff participants working on those services.

Results: We generated three themes relevant to meanings of food and experiences of food insecurity among VAW survivors: (1) power dynamics as barriers to food and achieving independence for survivors of VAW, (2) intersection between food insecurity and motherhood, and (3) reclaiming food independence and power after abusive situations.

Conclusions: Food security and autonomy promoted healing and provided a sense of independence for VAW survivors living in or transitioning out of both violent situations and shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic. To better support VAW survivors, organizations that support survivors need to be appropriately resourced to provide food-related programming, supports, and diverse food options, including during public health emergencies, when economic precarity and social isolation increase. Gender-transformative policy is necessary to prevent gender-based and intersectional inequities in violence and food insecurity.