written by Beth Middleton-Bain
Across the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has had severe effects on everyone, regardless of race, sex, gender, or social standing. Notably, in many places, these effects can be viewed through the lens of gender. Women and under-25s have been some of the hardest hit by this pandemic.
Domestic violence across the world rose during the implementation of lockdown measures. In Scotland, where STAMP is based, there have been marked increases in domestic violence, with Police Scotland reporting an 8.8% increase in reported incidents since 2019. Charities such as Scottish Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland have also reported higher demand for their services during the same time period.
These effects are being discussed at a government level. The Scottish Government have released information and statistics highlighting the gendered effects of the pandemic within our country and the analysis is staggering. In June, the Scottish Government released a report highlighting the impact of early Covid-19 restrictions on those experiencing domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women.
The report’s findings showed that many domestic violence support services saw major challenges in safely contacting those they were supporting who were living with an abusive partner due to the increased time being spent within households due to lockdown measures. Service providers also reported that there was increased difficulty in separating from abusive partners while under lockdown. With bans on household mixing, it is also believed that those experiencing domestic violence have had fewer opportunities to seek temporary safety at the homes of relatives and friends.
There has since been an updated paper released in September which studied these issues over a later time period (late May to August 2020). This report showed that some of the issues in providing services for those experiencing domestic violence remained throughout relaxed restrictions.
Engender, a Scottish feminist policy and advocacy organisation, submitted evidence earlier this year to the Equality and Human Rights Committee Inquiry on Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Equalities and Human Rights. Here, the issue of delayed justice for Scotland’s victim-survivors of violence is looked at with a focus on the impact of Covid-19. While the criminal justice system usually has long procedural delays, which can cause additional trauma and distress to victim-survivors, Engender highlighted that these delays could be extended further. As the solution put forward by the Scottish Government was a temporary expansion of judge-only trials, Engender challenged this in the submitted paper, citing that this would be counterproductive, and could instead advance the gendered barriers of accessing justice. The full paper is available to read here, and covers other issues such as the lack of focus on childcare and domestic labour, and the economic standing of women.
While these issues surrounding domestic violence and abuse are being discussed at a government level, further action must be taken by those in power to advance equality in Scotland.
If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, STAMP have included these resources:
Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline — 0800 027 1234
Shakti Women’s Aid (providing help for black minority ethnic (BME) women, children and young people)
Edinburgh — 0131 475 2399
Fife — 01383 732 289
Dundee — 01382 207 095
Forth Valley — 07757035794
Scottish Women’s Rights Centre Helpline — 08088 010 789
Victim Support Scotland Helpline — 0800 160 1985
Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline — 08088 01 03 02
Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre Helpline- Support and Signposting Service — 08088 01 03 01
LGBT Domestic Abuse Scotland — www.lgbtdomesticabuse.org.uk
Childline — 0800 1111
Respect (Men’s Advice line) — 0808 8010327
Women’s Aid Rail to Refuge has been providing free rail travel for those fleeing domestic violence since early 2020. This service has now been extended into March 2021, and is accessible by contacting Scottish Women’s Aid.
