Family Law amid COVID19

With this, research has demonstrated that family violence increases after emergency and natural disaster situations such as bushfires, earthquakes and hurricanes. Based on these experiences, we can anticipate that incidences of family violence will also increase during the widespread community outbreak of COVID-19.

Research into experiences of family violence post the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, found that family violence increased due to a tendency for people to revert to strict gender norms during times of natural disaster and uncertainty such as men being the protectors and decision makers and women being the carers. These strict gender norms reduce women’s autonomy and can put them and their children at risk. Research also found that women’s experiences of violence tend to be dismissed or excused more often during times of disaster or emergency with statements such as “He is just stressed.”

Other contributing factors that can increase the risk of family violence and are likely to be factors in the current situation with COVID-19 are increased financial insecurity, employment and housing insecurity and increased and sustained periods of time that families are together due to quarantine. Victims also may have a reduced ability to flee family violence during this time, as well as have reduced access to support and community supports if schools and community services are closed for containment reasons.

It is growing increasingly likely that as the COVID-19 lockdown continues, the stressors of financial insecurity will continue serve as a major catalyst for conflict and stress within a household. Especially in the case of prohibiting domestic violence victims from leaving abusers allowing the abuse control by leveraging a vulnerable person’s financial insecurity. Also with external factors of mass closures, record numbers of people not working or working from home and the tension of the unknown, stress can build and lead to increased incidences of domestic violence.