Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Private Bag X385, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa.
School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
BMC Public Health. 2022 May 21;22(1):1029. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13422-3.
Evidence on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown remains at an early stage. There is limited research about the impact of hard lockdown restrictions on families, specifically how these restrictions impact on women and children's experiences of domestic violence, including intimate partner violence (IPV) and child abuse in South Africa. We conducted research among men and women in Gauteng province, South Africa to understand their experiences of the COVID-19 national lockdown and its impact and link to women and children's experiences of domestic violence.
We conducted a qualitative study, using social media to recruit men and women who were 18 years and older, living with a spouse and/or children in Gauteng province, South Africa during the lockdown. To collect the data, we conducted telephone interviews, and analyzed data using the thematic approach.
The lockdown had unprecedented negative economic impacts on families, and exacerbated some of the risk factors for violence against women and children in the home in South Africa. Some women reported experiences of emotional violence. Experiences of physical violence were mostly amongst children. The risk factors for women and children's experiences of violence in the home differed by socio-economic class. Job losses and reduction in earnings resulted to food insecurity which was a key driver of violence in most low socio-economic status (SES) families. Confinement in the home with spouses was an unfamiliar and difficult experience, associated with conflict and perpetration of violence by men in high SES families. Participants across socio-economic groups reported high levels of stress with limited psychosocial support available during the lockdown.
Our finding showing a link between low-socio-economic status and increased risk for domestic violence during the lockdown in South Africa suggests the need for socio-economic interventions to mitigate these risks. Structural and social relief measures need to be strengthened to reduce the loss of jobs and income and to address food insecurity during pandemics. Psychosocial support should be provided to men and women to mitigate the mental health impacts of the pandemics and lockdown.
关于 COVID-19 和封锁的影响的证据仍处于早期阶段。关于严格封锁限制对家庭的影响，特别是这些限制如何影响妇女和儿童遭受家庭暴力（包括亲密伴侣暴力和儿童虐待）的经验，研究有限。我们在南非豪登省的男性和女性中进行了研究，以了解他们对 COVID-19 国家封锁及其对妇女和儿童遭受家庭暴力的影响和联系的经验。
我们进行了一项定性研究，使用社交媒体招募了 18 岁及以上的男性和女性，他们在南非豪登省封锁期间与配偶和/或子女一起居住。为了收集数据，我们进行了电话访谈，并使用主题方法分析了数据。
封锁对家庭造成了前所未有的负面经济影响，并加剧了南非家庭中一些针对妇女和儿童暴力的风险因素。一些妇女报告了情感暴力的经历。身体暴力的经历主要发生在儿童身上。家庭中妇女和儿童遭受暴力的风险因素因社会经济阶层而异。失业和收入减少导致粮食不安全，这是大多数低收入社会经济地位（SES）家庭中暴力的主要驱动因素。与配偶一起被禁闭在家里是一种陌生而困难的经历，与高 SES 家庭中男性的冲突和暴力行为有关。来自不同社会经济群体的参与者报告说，在封锁期间，他们的压力水平很高，但可获得的心理社会支持有限。
我们的研究结果表明，南非封锁期间低社会经济地位与家庭暴力风险增加之间存在联系，这表明需要进行社会经济干预以减轻这些风险。需要加强结构和社会救济措施，以减少失业和收入损失，并解决大流行期间的粮食不安全问题。应该向男女提供心理社会支持，以减轻大流行和封锁对心理健康的影响。
