Family violence against children in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic: a review of current perspectives and risk factors
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d and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health Open Access
REVIEW
Family violence against children in the wake of COVID‑19 pandemic: a review of current perspectives and risk factors Noemí Pereda* and Diego A. Díaz‑Faes
Abstract The situation of crisis produced by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic poses major challenges to societies all over the world. While efforts to contain the virus are vital to protect global health, these same efforts are exposing children and adolescents to an increased risk of family violence. Various criminological theories explain the causes of this new danger. The social isolation required by the measures taken in the different countries, the impact on jobs, the economic instability, high levels of tension and fear of the virus, and new forms of relationships have all increased levels of stress in the most vulnerable families and, therefore, the risk of violence. In addition, mandatory lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of the disease have trapped children in their homes, isolating them from the people and the resources that could help them. In general, the restrictive measures imposed in many countries have not been accompanied by an analysis of the access to the resources needed to reduce this risk. It is necessary to take urgent measures to intervene in these high-risk contexts so that children and adolescents can develop and prosper in a soci‑ ety which is likely to undergo profound changes, but in which the defense of their rights and protection must remain a major priority. Keywords: COVID-19, Violence, Developmental victimology, Risk factors, Children Background In terms of their frequency and impact, violence and exposure to violence in the immediate family context are among the most serious forms of victimization [1]. These forms of victimization usually may include physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence [2]. The worldwide estimations of prevalence in self-report surveys are 22.6% for physical abuse, 36.3% for emotional abuse, 7.6% among boys and 18% among girls for sexual abuse, 16.3% for physical neglect, and 18.4% for emotional neglect [3]. Regarding childhood exposure to
*Correspondence: [email protected] Grup de Recerca en Victimització Infantil i Adolescent (GReVIA), Facultat de Psicologia,, Universitat de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d’Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
intimate partner violence, the data available are still limited [4]; however, it is estimated that between 133 and 275 million children are exposed to this kind of violence each year [5]. In spite of the gaps in the measurement of child victimization [6], these high rates of violence and exposure to family violence reveal that interpersonal violence against children constitutes a serious global social and health problem [7]. As the COVID19 crisis continues, societies all over the world are trying to mitigate its effects in both the short and the long term. Besides looking at the risks and consequences for the mental health of ch
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