Accessible News

Top storiesNew ZealandPoliticsBusinessEntertainmentSportsWorld

Covid-19: The devastating effect of lockdown on victims of family violence

Friday, 27 August 2021

Aviva, a Canterbury-based family and sexual violence victim support agency, saw an increase in a need for support even after lockdown ended last year. (File photo)
Aviva, a Canterbury-based family and sexual violence victim support agency, saw an increase in a need for support even after lockdown ended last year. (File photo)

From early morning calls for help from people hiding in laundries desperately trying to concoct lies about who they are talking with, to those terrified by seeing an ex-partner repeatedly driving past their home – the devastation family violence has on its victims can be exacerbated by lockdown.

And Canterbury-based family and sexual violence agency Aviva says the impact of even a short lockdown can be crippling.

The agency saw an increase in family violence rates during and after last year's nationwide lockdown, and warns the same is likely this year.

Increased isolation and pressure during the enforced confinement could amplify violence, the organisation said, as frustrations boil over as regular schedules go out the window.

**READ MORE:

* Family harm rates still high in Canterbury post-lockdown

* Six Nations tournaments to resume in October

* Coronavirus: Domestic violence calls up 34 per cent in four weeks of lockdown

**

People needing help also find it difficult to get in touch, as the person being violent is always present.

One client of Aviva reported seeing constant “drive-bys” of their home by an ex-partner.

Family violence isn’t always a scene from Once Were Warriors. More often, it’s about men controlling women, sometimes without physical abuse at all. (Video first published in September 2020)

“Even if the ex-partner is no longer in the picture, lockdown is a difficult place to be for someone still overcoming years, sometimes decades, of abuse,” a crisis intervention worker at Aviva said.

“They are left vulnerable with low self-esteem, and lockdown has only added to their intense feelings of isolation and anxiety.”

Other concerns include violent partners taking advantage of people’s vulnerabilities under alert level 4, and the manipulation of partners or ex-partners.

Some clients of the agency have reported being worried that lockdown could be used as an excuse to extend access to children.

The abrupt change in alert levels could be a cause for distress on its own, Aviva said.

During the previous lockdown, staff at the organisation saw some violent people using the period as an excuse to move back in with their partners and assert control.

Leaving a relationship during lockdown could be especially difficult, the agency said, due to partners being constantly present.

“Leaving a violent relationship can be one of the most dangerous times, with 50 per cent of family violence-related homicides taking place at the time of separation,” Aviva said in a statement.

Staff at the organisation have worked continuously since alert level 4 was announced early last week, providing food parcel deliveries and distributing emergency phones.

It has also continued to support people with protection orders and helped people felt less isolated by offering support, despite limited face-to-face contact.

Emergency accommodation is also available, while safety plans were offered to those unable to leave their homes.

Where to get help for domestic violence

Need help? If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation click the Shielded icon at the bottom of this website to contact Women's Refuge in a safe and anonymous way without it being traced in your browser history. If you're in our app, visit the mobile website here to access Shielded.