Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Violence Against Women

The daily lives of people in various nations have been profoundly altered by the global lockdown caused by COVID-19. Work-family patterns and gender relations pertaining to the authority and obligations shared by men and women were exposed and transformed. In the six months that followed the lockdown, 31 million new cases of gender-based abuse and assault was anticipated by the United Nations Population Fund. The study will examine the various COVID-19-related factors that influence the likelihood of domestic abuse against women. The study was a Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Data was collected from peer reviewed journal articles which met the included criteria for the research. The following Six (6) databases were searched; International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, and Medline for data reviewed for the study. Six (6) papers were included and reviewed in the study. The study used a thematic review approach to examining the findings from the reviewed papers. The findings of the study revealed the following themes showing factors that influenced domestic violence against women amidst COVID-19. Financial limitation/ low socioeconomic status, Growing workload and childcare responsibilities, Sexual Assault/Violence and Negative effect of quarantine mood/ poor socialization. The study recommended that to find the best way to help their patients leave abusive situations at home, non-governmental and governmental organisations should organize interventions to help women speak up when they are experiencing domestic abuse or violence.