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COVID-19 and Gender-Based Violence in Canada

Updated: Mar 6, 2023

Written by Yuqi Yao

March 20, 2021


The spread of COVID-19 around the world has contributed to the rise in gender-based violence (GBV) in Canada by causing certain political and societal shifts that have compounded the issue. Composing the majority of GBV victims, women face increased challenges in their daily lives as a result of quarantine and more time spent at home. The current issue of gender inequality and women’s identity intersectionality makes a poor situation worse by causing further deterioration in the personal security of many women.


Due to the extremely infectious nature of COVID-19, numerous quarantine guidelines have been enforced to curb the spread of the virus. However, to a certain extent, these “stay at home” regulations have indirectly contributed to an increase in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Among all factors that lead to IPV, physical and social isolation from the outside world seemed to relate to specific pandemic contexts directly. The 17% drop in female employment compared to 14.5% for males shows that in the early days of the outbreak, many working women were pushed out of the workforce potentially due to the social pressure caused by gender inequality in the workplace. Women – especially those with low incomes – quickly lost their jobs because they made up the majority of the workforce in sectors hit hard by the epidemic, such as hospitality, retail, and food, and experienced erosions in skills that made it harder to re-enter the workforce because of the fungible nature of these jobs (Wheatley, 2021). When domestic conflict or violence occurs, it is harder to get help in the form of mediation, police protection, or intervention from social workers when in a state of isolation caused by the pandemic. In such situations, the Routine Activities Theory would identify these women as suitable targets in an environment without capable guardians, which allows motivated abusers to take advantage of them (Kitteringham, 2010).


Additionally, the Assaulted Women’s Helpline in Toronto shared their COVID-19 experiences to reveal the social isolation many victims were going through. According to their statements, violence often escalated quickly from the beginnings of verbal to physical abuse to the degree of threat to personal safety. In some circumstances, victims were cut off from the outside world and called for help from closets or bathrooms while their abusers were taking out the garbage. Moreover, many of these women were unaware of the possible opportunities and support they could obtain from the external world (Owen, 2020).


The situation was not much better for women who still held their jobs. As women comprise over 90% of nurses, 75% of respiratory therapists, and 90% of personal support workers, female healthcare workers are valid representatives of working women during the pandemic (Western U, 2020). Not only does working in more dangerous workplaces mean more exposure to the virus, but toxic work environments also propagate sexual harassment and violence, especially for the women on the front lines. Moreover, when going through the shift between the hospital and household, the chance of being violated only increased. Due to the increased pressure, insufficient rest, and the possibility of being harassed by colleagues or patients, their mental health would be damaged and transformed into emotional control problems, which would make them more likely to have conflicts with their partners and increase the risk of IPV (PSAC, 2020). Furthermore, Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development has announced $50M to support GBV’s support services and many social institutions were cooperating because the suffering and psychological state of the healthcare workers who took care of others in these services were easily ignored (Service Canada, 2020). Sometimes the health workers had to learn how to help others get rid their lives of abuse while being violated themselves (PHSA, 2020).


As a “pandemic within the pandemic,” GBV has amplified its effects on women with identity intersections. For example, although GBV affects all races and ethnicities, the experiences of individuals from racial minority groups might be overlooked and disregarded because of discrimination or prejudice. The Native Women’s Association of Canada surveyed Indigenous women across the country, finding that of 250 women surveyed, one in five had experienced gender violence in the first three months of the pandemic (Gotell, 2020). However, Canada’s history of institutionalized mistreatment of Aboriginal women and lack of Aboriginal services created barriers for Aboriginal women seeking support. Also, for women with physical disabilities who depend upon others for day-to-day activities, while the new support patterns contain virtual connections and online services, support is less accessible (Western U, 2020). Therefore, to realize these specific needs, intersectional approaches should be used to raise awareness and make resources more accessible. For instance, government and social organizations should take special measures to protect sex workers during a pandemic – they can issue subsidies or arrange special shelters to reduce their risk of being exposed to dangerous guests.


Sources:

Kitteringham, G. (2010). Chapter 13 – Environmental Crime Control. In Ifpo (Ed.), The Professional Protection Officer (pp. 151-160). Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781856177467000134

Image: Domestika.org by Isabel Gómez Guizar

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