Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have warned that cases of violence against women and girls typically rise during outbreaks of infectious diseases, due to economic pressures, isolation, and disruption of services.
However, they stressed that these effects are still not adequately documented, and there are no accurate statistics on the size of this increase except for the coronavirus pandemic
In a study published in the journal BMJ Global Health entitled "A Systematic Review of Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Violence Against Women and Girls," researchers analyzed nearly 2,900 studies, focusing on 112 publications related to low- and middle-income countries.
Surprisingly, all the quantitative studies that met the criteria focused only on the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the existence of major epidemics in past decades such as Ebola.
Most of these studies concluded that violence against women and girls increased during the first year of the pandemic.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, global reports documented a significant rise in violence during lockdowns, a phenomenon described as a "hidden pandemic." This led researchers to argue that pandemic responses have historically focused on infection and mortality rates, neglecting safety concerns and missing crucial opportunities to prevent harm.
Why do epidemics increase the risk of violence?
Epidemics (which are increasing due to climate change and urbanization) lead to:
Economic turmoil and loss of income.
· Lockdowns and curfews trap women with their abusers.
School closures and disruptions to healthcare increase child marriage and exploitation.
• Fear of infection, which is used by abusers to control victims.
• Loss of confidence in the health system due to past experiences (as happened with Ebola), which prevents survivors from seeking help.
Researcher Lindsay Stark says : "The lack of data is a major finding in itself; it means we enter each new epidemic in deep darkness regarding its impact on women and girls."
Even in studies of the coronavirus, researchers have acknowledged weaknesses, such as focusing on adult women and neglecting girls, and relying on inaccurate indicators (such as phone calls) that underestimate the true extent of the problem.
Researchers are calling for the integration of monitoring violence against women into pandemic surveillance systems, just as monitoring the spread of the disease itself is. They recommend:
• Assessing the risks of violence when designing closure strategies.
Keeping essential services open (schools, health care, shelters).
• Training health workers to detect signs of violence.
Preparing for future epidemics in advance, rather than addressing violence as an afterthought.
Researcher Elana Seif says: "Public health responses must take into account the broader social consequences of outbreaks. Preventing violence against women and girls is not a luxury, but an essential part of preparedness and response."
