Domestic Violence and COVID-19: Australia’s Double Pandemic

Domestic violence; it's a silent pandemic that affects, on average, two million Australians each year. In 2020 COVID-19 devastated Australia. The economy fell, schools were closed, hospitals were flooded, and the country was forced into isolation. Every Australian felt the effects of the disease in one way or another, especially those subjected to domestic violence.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported in 2019 that one in six women from the age of 15 experienced domestic violence (AIHW, 2019). In July 2020 a study conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology revealed that almost 10% of all Australian women in a relationship experienced domestic violence during COVID-19 (AIC, 2020).

Domestic violence is categorised as physical, sexual, emotional/psychological, economic and/or social abuse from a partner or any other household member such as a parent, uncle, aunt, sibling, or grandparent (Medical Journal of Australian, 2021).

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that Australia has been fighting a losing battle against domestic violence for the past decade. Between 2009 and 2019 statistics revealed a 70.6% increase in sexual domestic violence cases across the nation (ABS, 2020).

When the nationwide lockdown was announced, medical professionals, emergency services and community workers dreaded the imminent effects isolation would have on those exposed to domestic violence.

Historical studies recognise that in times of a disaster, domestic violence tends to increase across the globe (Jenkins & Phillips, 2008). These identifiable trends further increased concerns from professionals as the COVID-19 pandemic was an uncharted and prolonged hardship. Predicting societal outcomes is difficult; however, with 2020 domestic violence statistics slowly emerging, Australia is forecasting its worst year yet for women battling domestic violence.

During 2020, domestic violence call outs spiked nationally. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner, Rick Nugent reported that there was a 6.7% increase in police call-outs due to domestic violence across the state, totalling to almost 90,000 (Nugent, 2021).

South Australia Police saw a jump in domestic violence-related reports from 8,587 in 2019 to 9,526 in 2020, totalling to an 11% increase. Statistics from SA Police further revealed that there were 440 more domestic assaults from March through to August 2020, compared to the previous year.

Illawarra Women’s Health Centre faced unprecedented demand for support from women in domestically violent environments. Chief executive, Sally Stevenson reported that referrals to the service from January to August 2020, increased by 189% whilst phone calls spiked by 55% (IWHC, 2020).

Brisbane Domestic Violence Service recorded a 30% increase in demand for their services (Walsh, 2020) and Google reported a 75% national increase in internet searches relating to domestic violence support (Doran, 2020).

As the lockdown continued, the shadow pandemic we know as domestic violence worsened. 15,000 women completed a survey conducted by The Redfern Legal Centre and the Australian Institute of Criminology preceding the first stages of the lockdown. The survey reported that 8,000 women experienced an increase in domestic violence after the implementation of isolation. Prior to the lockdown, 33% of the total women surveyed had never experienced domestic violence, however fell victim during the isolation period (RLC & AIC, 2020).

By the 31st of December 2020, 55 Australian women died at the hands of their partner. During the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown, May 2020, eight women were killed by their significant other, double the national monthly average. On the 30th of November 2020, four women were killed by their partner within a 24-hour period. The accumulation of these events spiked anger nationwide and a demand for immediate government intervention.

Feminist group Destroy the Joint has labelled 2020 the year of femicide. Hayley Foster, Chief Executive of Women’s Safety New South Wales, told reporters, “2020 will be remembered as the worst year for domestic violence that any of us who are in the sector now have ever experienced, there have been so many more strangulation cases, so many threats to kill, so many more serious head injuries, and sexual assaults have been going through the roof” (Foster,2020).

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to release the 2020 Crime Report at the end of the financial year which is expected to validate societal predictions forecasting the surge of domestic violence due to COVID-19 lockdown laws. The question now remaining is whether the 2020 crime statistics will finally shine a light on the shadow pandemic that is affecting millions of Australians.

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