COVID-19大流行加剧了基于性别暴力的影响

概要

在大流行封锁期间，遭受基于性别暴力的妇女处于不稳定和危险的境地。在此期间，由于住房选择有限，许多面临暴力的妇女不得不应对无家可归的压力，她们面临做出与施暴的伴侣或家庭成员同住的艰难决定。同样，部分单独抚养孩子的妇女必须在买食物和付房租之间做出选择。随着住房压力越来越难以负担，逃离暴力的妇女不得不寻找一个安全的住所，这使得她们处于危险之中，面临重新受到施虐者的摆布的困境。

COVID-19封锁还加剧了先前存在的基于性别的暴力问题，已经在处理性别暴力问题的家庭不再能够离开家去工作、上学或参加社交活动，这使许多妇女再次陷入被伴侣虐待的局面，对妇女的暴力行为发生率增加。宗教集会、工作场所、社区中心、支持团体和社区机构等妇女可以获得帮助的场所也难以进入。COVID-19大流行还加剧了医疗保健和住房方面更大的社会鸿沟和不平等，以及恶劣的工作条件。女性往往最先失去工作，这导致妇女拖欠房租，不得不搬去与家人同住。具体而言，在大流行封锁期间，妇女面临着独特的脆弱性，这增加了她们遭受暴力的风险，减少了获得帮助的机会。

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the impacts of gender-based violence worse

Protestors in Gqeberha, South Africa, demonstrating against gender-based violence. (Shutterstock)

Every November the United Nations marks a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence. It begins on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on Dec. 10, Human Rights Day. This year’s theme is “UNiTE! Activism to end violence against women and girls.”

This theme aims to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on gender-based violence, as well as inequalities in accessible housing, services and resources.

During pandemic lockdowns women experiencing gender-based violence found themselves in precarious and dangerous circumstances. Many women facing violence had to contend with the prospect of homelessness as a result of limited housing options.

Gender-based violence and COVID-19

COVID-19 lockdowns exacerbated the pre-existing problem of gender-based violence. Families who were already dealing with violence were no longer able to leave the home for work, school or social activities. This left many women trapped with abusive partners which led to increased rates of violence against women.

Spaces like religious gatherings, workplaces, community centers, support groups and community agencies where women could get some reprieve and support were also no longer easily accessible.

The pandemic also highlighted a larger social divide and social inequalities in access to health care and housing, as well as poor working conditions. It had a more severe impact on lower-paid people — many of whom are women — who were often the first to lose their jobs. This led to women falling behind on rent and having to move in with family.

Women’s rights activists take part in a demonstration to condemn the violence against women in Lahore, Pakistan, July 24, 2021. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudhry)

These divides do not come as a surprise to women and children fleeing violence. Research, and the experiences of those fighting gender-based violence, have illustrated that women face multifaceted challenges when accessing social services and supports.

Specifically, racialized women face unique vulnerabilities that increase their risk of violence and access to services. These include restrictive immigration laws and racial profiling. Exploring the relationship between COVID-19 and gender-based violence is key to understanding women’s experiences. Gender-based violence survivors’ experiences must be understood from an intersectional approach.

The housing crisis

Due to financial dependence and an increasingly unaffordable housing market, women and children fleeing violence are in dangerous positions. In many large cities, housing costs have been skyrocketing. The average monthly rent across Canada is more than $2,000 per month.

Many women face the difficult decision of staying with abusive partners or family members. A problem that many women struggling to support their children have voiced is having to choose between buying food and paying rent.

With housing increasingly unaffordable, women fleeing violence are struggling to find a secure place to live. This puts women at risk and places them back at the mercy of their abusers.

Across Canada, women are staying in shelters longer. In Nova Scotia for instance, there is limited funding for second stage housing which supports women transitioning from temporary shelters to permanent housing.

People take part in a vigil at the Women’s Monument in Petawawa, Ont., to remember Carol Culleton, Nathalie Warmerdam and Anastasia Kuzyk. The three women were murdered by Basil Borutski, a man who had a known history of violence against women. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Survivors of abuse in Canada are given priority on social housing wait-lists based on a special priority criterion. This criterion includes leaving abusive relationships within 90 days and providing proof of cohabitation. But wait times for social housing are long and these criteria do not apply to everyone.

Consequently, many women remain in unhealthy and abusive households because they cannot afford to live elsewhere. Domestic violence shelters often turn away women and children due to lack of beds. Those that make it in shelters in Canada are having longer stays.

Many survivors live in risky, temporary housing, yet are considered safe because they no longer live with their abusers. Survivors choose temporary housing options to protect their children’s lives, stability and welfare, meet basic needs and avoid child welfare agencies. This tends to leave survivors homeless or at risk of returning to their abusers.

Survivors also face challenges applying for the help they need. The need for virtual meetings and application processes during the pandemic raised new challenges for social housing application access.

Due to limited access to the internet, computers, skill set gaps and use of shared devices, some survivors cannot safely and privately seek help and complete applications at home.

Exploring the intersections between systemic oppression and women’s vulnerabilities is critical. The 16 Days of Activism are a call for all levels of government to address the housing gap and gender-based violence.

Building more affordable housing, improving access to subsidized housing and increasing benefit assistance rates are some sustainable solutions to the chronic cycle of homelessness faced by women fleeing violence.

Source:

The Conversation

Published on November 24 2022

声明：本站文章版权归原作者及原出处所有。本文章系本站编辑转载，文章内容为原作者个人观点，登载该文章的目的是为了学习交流和研究，并不代表本站赞同其观点和对其真实性负责，本站只提供参考并不构成任何投资及应用建议。

本站是一个学习交流和研究的平台，网站上部分文章为引用或转载，并不用于任何商业目的。我们已经尽可能的对作者和来源进行了告知，但是能力有限或疏忽，造成漏登或其他问题，请及时联系我们，我们将根据著作权人的要求，立即更正或删除有关内容。本站拥有对本声明的最终解释权。