Across the world, countries have locked down to stop the spread of coronavirus. Sadly, the same measures used to save lives have put others at risk. An increase in domestic abuse has been seen in all countries implementing lockdowns from China to Italy, including the UK. Refuge, a British charity helping the victims of domestic abuse, reported 49% more calls in the week before 15 April (the UK entered lockdown in late March), relative to pre-lockdown numbers. This is alarming since domestic abuse was high before the pandemic, with an estimated 2.4 million adults aged 16-24 having suffered domestic abuse in England and Wales in the year ending March 2019.
DOMESTIC ABUSE DURING THE UK LOCKDOWN
In the UK, national lockdowns have confined victims and their abusers in the home. This, combined with money worries resulting from not working, may only heighten feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear in both victim and abuser. Inherent in the characteristics of a lockdown, there are fewer opportunities to escape the house. This prevents both the victims of domestic abuse, and their abusers, from seeking the temporary relief that leaving the house can bring. This is likely to lead to a build-up of tension within the household, which may result in domestic abuse. Evidence for this is provided by the Office for National Statistics that has recorded a 7% increase in domestic abuse offences recorded during and after the first national lockdown in England and Wales than for the same period in 2019. These figures rose each month in the period between March and June 2020, with the most dramatic monthly increase recorded between April and May 2020 of 9%; possibly reflecting the heightened anxiety and frustrations that built up after being in a national lockdown for nearly seven weeks by May.
Despite the increase in domestic abuse offences recorded, domestic abuse charity SafeLives notes that 61% of survivors did not reach out for help during lockdown. Notably, victims are often unable to access a phone or online support, particularly if their abuser is with them all the time. This is made worse with walk-in help centres and local services moving online or to telephone-based support. As a result, access to help is restricted for many victims of domestic abuse. Encouragingly, however, a study on the impact of lockdown on domestic abuse in Greater London, conducted by the Centre for Economic Performance, suggests that reporting of domestic abuse by third parties is increasing. It noted that while domestic abuse increased during the first lockdown from March 2020, the number of victims reporting this abuse did not increase. Instead, third party reporting increased by 30% compared to the same period in 2019. This may be explained as neighbours and people living in close proximity to households of domestic abuse are at home more, making it easier to observe abnormalities.
INSUFFICIENT GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Improving awareness of domestic abuse is essential in order to protect victims as people are more likely to report it. However, the response by the UK government in providing support for victims has been insufficient. £2 million in funding was provided by the Home Secretary to support helplines and online services. However, the inability for many victims to access these online and telephone services limits the effectiveness of these methods to those who can access them. When £2 million in funding is divided between numerous domestic abuse charities across the UK, it becomes unable to effectively relieve overwhelmed agencies. The focus then shifts onto volunteers who give up their time to try and alleviate the strains placed on helplines, to enable help to reach those who need it.
In terms of long-term support during the latter stages of the Coronavirus pandemic and beyond, the Domestic Violence Bill currently moving through Parliament is a promising start; albeit an incomplete solution. It provides better protection for those victims who flee violence, by imposing a legal duty on councils to provide secure homes for them and their children. Significantly, it codifies the definition of domestic abuse, including within it economic abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical behaviour for the first time, in order to increase recognition of all types of domestic abuse. It also has the effect of banning the defence of “rough sex” when causing serious harm, representing a key step forward in domestic abuse cases. However, the Bill has its limitations and arguably does not go far enough. It does not guarantee additional funding to community services that support victims of domestic abuse. It also fails to address issues resulting from cuts to the funding of services such as refuges and a lack of emergency housing for victims who flee the homes of domestic abuse. This will inevitably impact the ability of victims to secure help. The pandemic has shown to have taken its toll on these services that lack funding and a failure to guarantee additional funding may mean that these impacts may not be permanently resolved.
FURTHER MEASURES NEEDED
The impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns on domestic abuse has been undeniable. The first step forward must be to improve awareness of domestic abuse, as this will result in more people reporting it. However, the impact of measures aimed to protect victims during the pandemic will not be fully understood until the pandemic is a thing of the past and the Domestic Violence Bill is passed. Even then, the question remains as to whether the government is doing enough to support these vulnerable groups in the long term or if limited public funding and the Domestic Violence Bill are just the first steps to initiate permanent solutions.
Lucy is a second year Law LLB student at Newcastle University, and aspiring Barrister. She aims to raise awareness about human rights infringements within society and promote the implementation of adequate legislative solutions.