The Rise of Domestic Violence During the Coronavirus Pandemic

In theory, staying at home all day with your loved one sounds great. You do not have to leave them, and you can proceed to do all those cheesy romantic things you spoke about in the honeymoon stage of the relationship.

It sounds absolutely perfect, but how can something so blissful, turn into a horrid nightmare. Like all things which are great in theory, can turn into something unfavourably abhorrent.

The National Domestic Abuse helpline who deal with domestic violence, have stated that calls have gone up by 25%, not just in the UK, but worldwide as there has been an alarming spike of violence in homes.

They have also stated that the charity will keep on working to help support the victims. Visits to the UK-wide National Domestic Abuse helpline website for information were 150% higher than during the last week of February, Refuge stated.

Other crimes, however, have dropped sharply. The sad thing is that these victims have no way to escape their abusers, as they are confined to their homes during lockdown.

The government has set things in place to help victims, and they have stated that the restrictions do not apply to people suffering from domestic violence, so if they are affected , they are free to leave the household to ensure their safety.

There are a lot of contributing factors as to why someone would abuse someone. Everything from psychological issues, extreme jealousy, power struggles, and wanting to assert dominance over the victim are potential factors.

As the lockdown continues, we will just have to make sure ourselves and our loved ones stay safe. I believe that by allowing people to leave their homes if they feel unsafe/threatened, is a great step forward by the government to protect vulnerable members of society.

Due to being in a confined space for elongated periods of time, it can lead to what is known ‘cabin fever’, where being in enclosed environment with someone or a group of people can lead to irritably and possible violent tendencies.

Domestic violence is a hard thing to escape for the victims, as they have developed powerful feelings for their attacker, and once you are committed to someone, it is near impossible to leave them as you are bound to them with your heart and soul.

When you have built a life with someone you feel it is too drastic of a change to just leave, due to the bond the victim has with their perpetrator, the victim will be in a horrific cycle of domestic abuse.

Another reason why a victim will stay with their abuser, is that they are potentially blinded by love and believe that it is a character flaw in their partner, and they would just accept it. Also, the victim could also be threatened if they go to the police or talk to someone about their situation.

I think in the coming weeks domestic violence figures could fall, as people will take the government's advice on dealing with domestic abuse, and when the lockdown is over it will drop, as people will be spending less time together so that will decrease the likelihood of violence occurring in households.

You can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which you can call for free, and in confidence, for 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Or go to https://www.refuge.org.uk/ .

By Rajay Walker