COVID-19 and Violence against Women and Children: A second research round up

COVID-19 has raised the profile of violence against women and children (VAW/C) within the global discourse. Nine months after the emergence of COVID-19, global stakeholders continue to advocate for increased funding and action to mitigate against the risk of violence on vulnerable populations and support survivors.

This summary report collects 28 new research studies since June 2020. It focuses on reports, working papers, and publications across disciplines. Key takeaways from the study include:

• New studies still focus on whether violence has increased during the pandemic
• New studies find that the pandemic and measures taken to contain the spread has contributed to an increase in violence against women and children
• Considering most studies relying on primary data collected from survey methodologies, extra attention must be paid to ethics and the “do no harm” approach
• There is an overemphasis on researching trends and future studies should prioritize actionable research to inform policy and financing responses