With new variants of the Corona Virus showing up more regularly, it is possible that another lockdown is upon us. With the article I chose to reference, it talks about how during the lockdown, Domestic Violence cases rose in 7 countries. The article mentions the United States DV cases increasing by 8.1% during stay at home orders. The other countries mentioned in the article were Australia, Argentina, Mexico, India, Italy, and Sweden, however the US was referenced more in the research because of our current crime and DV records already on case.
If a second lockdown was to occur, do you think those in abusive relationships are going to be safe? In class we talked about why individuals feel forced to stay in abusive relationship, because they would fall apart with no support from another individual. It’s apparent that when couples are forced to be together every minute of the day, they tend to snap towards their partner as well as become tired of them easier compared to pre-lockdown. What are some healthy relationship management skills couples could practice to prevent emotional burnout from their significant other if another lockdown was to occur?
Link to article: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2021-02-25/domestic-violence-increased-in-7-countries-after-pandemic-lockdowns-review-finds
Good questions — I look forward to your responses.
Also: how can this very serious issue be integrated into a global pandemic plan for the next pandemic? Was there even any anticipation of such a scenario? Our most recent pandemics (AIDS, Ebola, etc.) didn’t result in a global lockdown. We are in new territory. The underside of the “advance” of virtual employment.
I think if another lockdown were to happen, then the percentage of abuse in relationships might go up even more. By already going through a lockdown that kept us at home, there were people forced into situations where they had to be around their abuser more, resulting in more conflict and incidences of violence. To see that more violence tends to brew the longer we stay around people, I think less people will be safe in their homes if they are forced to be in another lockdown. Considering how a relationship can evolve fast into an abusive one, I think offering spaces of quiet time and introduction of communication techniques that promote active listening and empathy could help keep these relationship abuse percentages low because it can help people process arguments with their partner better and if need be, they can go to a designated area and cool down from an misunderstanding if it gets to that point.
Yes, I think that if domestic violence is already present in a home, then the rates of domestic violence are going to continue to increase. I also think that if domestic violence was never present in the home, the rates of domestic violence may not increase as much just because domestic violence typically occurs in four stages, that involves tension, incident, reconciliation, and calm. However, that doesn’t exclude the cases in which domestic violence has occurred due to the pandemic.
If another lockdown was to occur I just think that one healthy relationship management skills couples could practice would be just to give each other personal space several days throughout the pandemic. Therefore each person has time to reflect on their well-being and to spend quality time with just themselves. Another management skill is to introduce each other to new activities that can be fun for each person. For example, during the pandemic, I had taken up the hobby of glass painting after seeing multiple videos on it, which had kept me highly occupied during the lockdown. So I think that finding a common hobby can help with the prevention of emotional burnout from one’s partner.
It’s honestly really scary how cases are increasing in already a very stressful time. I do think it’s safe to safe cases could increase if another lockdown occurred because it would require non-stop attention from their partner which in this case, would be a bad thing. No space away from an abuse partner can be really scary, but sadly some girls may feel as if they have no place to go. There should be more places for women to run to for shelter when they feel unsafe, for reasons such as this.
It’s sad to think about the amount of people in lockdown, or quarantine, that are stuck with their abusers with no way out. I think they would increase if another lockdown were to happen. I think a healthy relationship management skill couples could practice if another lockdown were to occur is to give each other space. Which this could be difficult, but possible. Create separate work spaces, try to spend the day alone and come together for dinner, etc.