The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Domestic Violence: What Kind of Effect Does it Have? Volume 4 - Issue 3

Mehrdad Rayejian Asli*

• Institute for Research and Development in Humanities (SAMT), Deputy of Research in UNESCO Chair of Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, Tehran, Iran

Received: January 3, 2022;   Published: January 20, 2022

*Corresponding author: Mehrdad Rayejian Asli, Institute for Research and Development in Humanities (SAMT), Deputy of Research in UNESCO Chair of Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, Tehran, Iran

DOI: 10.32474/PRJFGS.2022.04.000187

Abstract PDF

The COVID-19 pandemic as the most serious concern of humanity in the beginning decades of the Third Millennium has brought about many effects and consequences on various aspects of human life. Meanwhile, the impact of COVID-19 on individual and collective behavior at micro and macro levels of communications is notable. Among various forms of behavior, criminal conduct is a significant example which has been caused by the current pandemic. This type of behavior indicates that a natural phenomenon, like an infectious disease, may impact on the individual behavior, and even may drive the person to act or conduct criminally or nefariously towards others. Within the social and interpersonal communications and interactions, such phenomena or events may disrupt the relations between peoples, particularly the relationships between the members of a family or a household. Domestic violence, sometimes referred to as ‘family violence’ or ‘family crime’, has been among important cases influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries around the globe, including in Middle East, North Africa, and Latin American countries. Policies such as quarantine and stay-at-home which have usually been taken by the governments during the pandemic indeed impose restrictions on individuals in their home or household. Thus, such measures may put particular groups of persons (esp. women, children, the elderly and disabled persons) at the risk of victimization derived from the domestic violence.

Accordingly, this short review denotes the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as a natural event as well as a social problem on domestic violence from a criminological/victimological stand. It deems that understanding the relation between COVID-19 pandemic and domestic violence depends on comprehending the nature and types of this kind of violence. Therefore, a binary typology (i.e., criminological and victimological) is required in order to explain prevalent forms of domestic violence. Based on a criminological typology, multiple abuses could be found which are, at least, divided into four forms. They consist of child abuse, female abuse, elder abuse, disabled abuse. A victimological typology, in contrast, describes multiple victimizations upon which the individuals who have been targeted and suffered by such abuses defined as victims of domestic violence. It is composed of child victims, female victims, elder victims, disabled victims. In other word, the former typology characterizes the nature of violence by describing the various forms of abuses or maltreatments. But the latter typology defines the nature of victimization or victimhood in terms of personality of the victim [1-3].

In the light of such personal attitude, the persons affected by domestic violence are described as special victims or particular groups of victims. The features of ‘special’ and ‘particular’ demonstrate the vulnerability of this group of persons as well as their need to receive attention, support and protection. Another interesting aspect that could be addressed in this short review is to seek the rethinking the COVID-19 outbreak from the perspective of ‘epidemiological criminology’. This new trend of criminology is based upon to answer the question “in what areas do crime and disease coverage?” By using this paradigm, we can realize that how domestic violence as a typical form of criminal behavior is caused by the conflict between measures or policies such as quarantine and interpersonal or family relationships. In other word, the family whose function is preserve its own members plays a converse role due to the epidemiological measures like social distancing or quarantine [4]. Thus, social distancing may provide an opportunity for interconnection and association within the family and between family members, even so, it may be detrimental to the participants mental health as well as lead to social and communication difficulties. Furthermore, quarantine and stay-at-home measures or orders may prevent the spread of the infectious disease, but at the same time, they cause problems and challenges in relationships and communication within the family, and even in the society as a whole. According to above considerations, a main question may arise: How we can review or rethink the COVID-19 pandemic based upon an interdisciplinary approach with emphasizing on criminology and victimology, particularly from the perspective of epidemiological criminology as a bridging framework between crime and a pandemic disease?.

1. Rayejian Asli Mehrdad (2020) A Criminological Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic with a Comparative Perspective Based on Iran’s and the World’ Data. Journal of World Socio political Studies 4(3): 505-532.
2. Rayejian Asli Mehrdad (2021) Crime Rates and Criminal Justice Policies in the Advent of COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Criminological Issues. International Journal of New Political Economy 2(2): 239-256.
3. Rayejian Asli Mehrdad (2021) Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Iran, in Lang, Michael & Nicholson, Peter (Eds.). Family Conflict During a Pandemic: Stories of Struggle and Hope (Advice from over 90 mediators and related professionals, artists, politicians and others affected by the Pandemic from around the world.
4. Rayejian Asli Mehrdad (2020) the Place of the Right to Health in Social and Criminal Justice Policies in the Advent of COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Studies on Human Rights, Peace and Democracy: International, National and Comparative Views and Islamic Thoughts (HRPD): Research Center and UNESCO Chair of Human Rights, Peace and Democracy (Forthcoming).