'I will rather be killed by corona than by him ': Experiences of abused women seeking shelter during South Africa's COVID-19 lockdown.

BACKGROUND: In April 2020, the United Nations predicted that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a 'calamitous' impact on the lives of women. This was based on concerns about an upsurge in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) arising from increased opportunities for relational conflict due to forced co-existence and therefore additional time spent with abusive partners. AIM: Research has shown an increase in IPV during times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated unprecedented circumstances and stress, and opportunities to do research to understand whether the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on IPV experiences were limited. Thus, the present study aimed to understand women's experiences of being in and leaving an abusive relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Individual, telephonic interviews were conducted with 16 women living in domestic violence shelters within three Provinces during South Africa's lockdown period. RESULTS: Findings reveal that the public health measures implemented by the South African Government to curb the spread of the virus, may have placed vulnerable groups at increased risk of violence. Specifically, lockdown likely magnified the risk for escalation of abuse in families already experiencing IPV prior to COVID-19. The study highlights an IPV and COVID-19 relationship, showing that the gender insensitive pandemic control measures, such as stay at home orders and travel restrictions, likely placed women at risk of increased abuse. Given the recurrency of COVID-19 epidemic waves, attention must be given to gender disparities or many South African women may experience worse outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study reminds us that being ordered to stay at home is not always the safest option for women and thus, in a country with one of the highest levels of GBV, it becomes imperative to ensure that IPV safeguards are integrated into COVID-19 measures. It also becomes evident that COVID-19 requires enhanced ways of responding by paying attention to gender disparities.

Jackie Campbell: Creator of the Danger Assessment.

As part of its Raise the Voice campaign to showcase nurses who are key players in transforming health care, the American Academy of Nursing has identified nurses they call edge runners-"practical innovators who have led the way in bringing new thinking and new methods to a wide range of health care challenges." This is the eighth in AJN's series of profiles of these nursing innovators. Read and be proud of what nurses can accomplish.

Ateneo General de la Residencia de Psicopedagogía: Huellas de las promesas incumplidas: el devenir del aprendizaje en contextos violentos / Atheneaum Psychopedagogic Residence: Traces of unfulfilled promises: the evolution of learning in violent contexts

Ateneo del Equipo de Psicopedagogía del Centro de Salud Nº 13, del Área Programática del Hospital General de Agudos P. Piñero, de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, centrado en la problemática de la violencia en la clínica psicopedagógica con niños/as, y en cómo se verán atravesados los procesos de aprendizaje de los/as niños/as víctimas o testigos de violencia con los/as que trabaja el Equipo. Se realiza un breve recorrido histórico del concepto de violencia, para intentar una posible conceptualización de la misma, y se analiza la dimensión socio-cultural e histórica de la violencia, enmarcada en el sistema patriarcal e influida por las relaciones de poder. Se hace hincapié en la violencia familiar y, más particularmente en la violencia de género y se profundiza en las distintas formas de maltrato infantil.

The Endemic Amid the Pandemic: Seeking Help for Violence Against Women in the Initial Phases of COVID-19.

During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments instituted a series of measures to control the spread of the virus. The measures were widely believed to increase women's risk of violent victimization, most of which is by an intimate partner. We examined help-seeking during this period in a large U.S. city and used an interrupted time series analysis to assess the effects of three government interventions on domestic violence and sexual assault hotline calls and on "911" calls regarding domestic violence, assault, and rape. Declaration of an emergency appeared to reduce victim calls to the rape crisis hotline and the few "911" calls about rape. School closure was associated with a reduction in "911" calls about assault and rape and victim calls to the domestic violence hotline. Implementation of stay-at-home orders was associated with a gradual increase in domestic violence hotline calls. Although "911" calls regarding assault fell by nearly half, calls to police for domestic violence were unchanged. In sum, there was a decrease in help-seeking for sexual assault and assault in general but not for domestic violence during the initial phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. The analysis underscores the importance of distinguishing between the violence itself, calls to police, and calls to helplines when claims are made about changes over time in violence against women. The opportunities and constraints for each can differ widely under usual circumstances, circumstances that were altered by public health interventions related to the pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors.

BACKGROUND: There is little information on care-seeking patterns for sexual assault and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in emergency department (ED) admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. METHODS: Observational ED admissions data from The Ottawa Hospital were analyzed from March 4 to May 5 (62 days) in 2020 (COVID-19 period) and compared to the same period in 2018 (pre-COVID-19). Total and mean weekly admissions were calculated for all-cause ED admissions and for sexual and domestic violence cases. A Poisson regression (without offset term) was used to calculate the weekly case count ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between the two time periods. Case characteristics were compared using chi-square tests, and percent differences were calculated. RESULTS: Compared to pre-COVID-19, total ED admissions dropped by 1111.22 cases per week (32.9% reduction), and the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program cases dropped 4.66 cases per week. The weekly case count ratio for sexual assault cases was 0.47 (95% CI 0.79-0.27), equivalent of 53.49% reduction in cases, and 0.52 (95% CI 0.93-0.29), equivalent to a 48.45% reduction in physical assault cases. The characteristics of presenting cases were similar by age (median 25 years), sex (88.57% female), assault type (57.14% sexual assault, 48.57% physical assault), and location (31.43% patient's home, 40.00% assailant's home). There was a significant increase in psychological abuse (11.69% vs 28.57%) and assaults occurring outdoors (5.19% vs 22.86%). CONCLUSION: This study found a decrease in ED admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence during COVID-19, despite societal conditions that elevate risk of violence. Trends in care-seeking and assault patterns will require ongoing monitoring to inform the provision of optimal support for individuals experiencing violence, particularly as countries begin to re-open or lock-down again.

Male victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence: A steadily increasing phenomenon.

Violence perpetrated on male victims is a phenomenon that is currently underestimated by both national and international scientific communities, since males are historically (and stereotypically) considered the perpetrators rather than the victims of violence. As a consequence, the available literature lacks data which would allow a better understanding of this issue and its presenting features. We undertook a retrospective analysis of 231 medical files of male victims of violence over a five-year-period (2014-2018) at the Soccorso Violenza Sessuale e Domestica Centre in Milan, Italy. The sample included 112 victims of sexual violence and 119 victims of domestic violence, most of whom were younger than 18 years of age. The main aim of this study was to describe the presentations of male victims of violence in order to understand the phenomenon better, increase awareness of the issue and enable improved health-care management. The need to pay more attention to this vulnerable part of the population is mandatory in health-care services, and it includes: the provision of management guidelines, training to attending physicians and a supportive service to male survivors. Understanding which risk factors are related to male abuse can help with the development of programmes that identify, prevent and minimise violence - this being especially useful for primary-care clinicians. This is the first Italian study to deal with domestic and sexual violence involving male victims.

Violence against children and adolescents: notification and alert in times of pandemic / Violência contra crianças e adolescentes: notificações e alerta em tempos de pandemia

ABSTRACT Objective: Social isolation is currently identified as the best way to prevent the infection by the new coronavirus. However, for some social groups, such as children and adolescents, this measure carries a contradiction: the home, which should be the safest place for them, is also a frequent environment of a sad aggravation: domestic violence. This study aims to evaluate the notifications of interpersonal/self-inflicted violence available in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases in the State of Santa Catarina (southern Brazil), for the juvenile age group, before and during the new coronavirus pandemics. Methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive study of violence against children and adolescents (from 0 to 19 years) notified by health professionals by completing and entering the occurrence in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases of the State of Santa Catarina in 11 weeks in which the social isolation measure was instituted as mandatory, comparing with the same period before this measure. Results: During the study period, 136 municipalities in Santa Catarina made 1,851 notifications. There was a decrease of 55.3% of them in the isolation period, and the difficulties encountered in seeking protection and assistance institutions were listed. Conclusions: The society needs to be aware of possible cases of violence in the children and adolescent population. It is important to provide accessible, effective, and safe ways for complaints and notifications, as well as a quick response to the cases, aiming at protecting victims and minimizing damages to prevent the perpetuation of the violence.

RESUMO Objetivo: O isolamento social é identificado, no momento, como a melhor forma para evitar o contágio pelo novo coronavírus. Porém, para alguns grupos sociais, como crianças e adolescentes, essa medida carrega uma contradição: o lar, que deveria ser o local mais seguro para eles, é também um ambiente frequente de um triste agravo, a violência doméstica. Este estudo visou avaliar e comparar as notificações compulsórias de violências interpessoais/autoprovocadas disponíveis no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação do Estado de Santa Catarina, pré e pós-pandemia do novo coronavírus. Métodos: Estudo transversal, descritivo e analítico das violências contra crianças e adolescentes (de 0 a 19 anos de idade completos) notificadas pelos profissionais de saúde mediante o preenchimento e a inserção das ocorrências no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação do Estado de Santa Catarina, no período de 11 semanas em que foi instituída como obrigatória a medida de isolamento social, comparando tais eventos com os de igual período anterior a essa medida. Resultados: No período estudado, 136 municípios catarinenses realizaram 1.851 notificações. Houve diminuição de 55,3% destas no período de isolamento, listando-se possíveis dificuldades encontradas para a procura de instituições de proteção e assistência. Conclusões: Alerta-se para a necessidade de a sociedade estar atenta para a suspeita e evidência dos casos de violência na população infantojuvenil, e ressalta-se a importância de que sejam propiciadas formas acessíveis, eficazes e seguras, como incentivo para as denúncias, a notificação e o rápido atendimento dos casos, visando à proteção das vítimas, à minimização dos danos e, assim, ao impedimento da perpetuação da violência.

Trends in rape cases in a Nigerian state.

BACKGROUND: Rape remains a controversial issue with a few victims reporting experience because of the myriad of societal perception, prolonged steps in pursuing a case to logical conclusion of securing conviction, as well as psychological and physical residuals of the experience. Data in Nigeria is therefore hard to come by as it is diminished and often not available. OBJECTIVES: To assess the pattern and trend of rape cases in a State in Nigeria. METHODS: A descriptive and retrospective study where data records on socio-demographics and case specifics was collected on victims of sexual assault that reported to DFID/ PATHS 2 supported Tamar Sexual Assault Centre between 2014 and 2016 after which it was analysed and presented in bar charts. RESULT: The yearly prevalence varied for the different age groups studied with the highest prevalence noted for 13 years and above (175,200,255) over the 3 years of 2014, 2015 and 2016 studied. The reported cases also improved over the studied years with rates of 0.47, 0.96 and 0.5 respectively. CONCLUSION: The yearly comparison and baseline data show that the centre's establishment caused an improvement in rape case reporting and follow-up.

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: NOTIFICATION AND ALERT IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC.

OBJECTIVE: Social isolation is currently identified as the best way to prevent the infection by the new coronavirus. However, for some social groups, such as children and adolescents, this measure carries a contradiction: the home, which should be the safest place for them, is also a frequent environment of a sad aggravation: domestic violence. This study aims to evaluate the notifications of interpersonal/self-inflicted violence available in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases in the State of Santa Catarina (southern Brazil), for the juvenile age group, before and during the new coronavirus pandemics. METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive study of violence against children and adolescents (from 0 to 19 years) notified by health professionals by completing and entering the occurrence in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases of the State of Santa Catarina in 11 weeks in which the social isolation measure was instituted as mandatory, comparing with the same period before this measure. RESULTS: During the study period, 136 municipalities in Santa Catarina made 1,851 notifications. There was a decrease of 55.3% of them in the isolation period, and the difficulties encountered in seeking protection and assistance institutions were listed. CONCLUSIONS: The society needs to be aware of possible cases of violence in the children and adolescent population. It is important to provide accessible, effective, and safe ways for complaints and notifications, as well as a quick response to the cases, aiming at protecting victims and minimizing damages to prevent the perpetuation of the violence.

Trends in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the United States.

BACKGROUND: It is important for those called upon to discuss major social determinants of health such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to have accurate knowledge about generational trends in their prevalence. OBJECTIVE: To review available trend data on major forms of ACEs. METHODS: A search of academic data bases was conducted by combining the term "trend" with a variety of terms referring to childhood adversities. RESULTS: Available trend data on ACEs from the 20th century show multi-decade declines in parental death, parental illness, sibling death, and poverty, but multi-decade increases in parental divorce, parental drug abuse and parental incarceration. More recent trend data on ACEs for the first fifteen to eighteen years of the 21st century show declines in parental illness, sibling death, exposure to domestic violence, childhood poverty, parental divorce, serious childhood illness, physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical and emotional bullying and exposure to community violence. Two 21st century ACE increases were for parental alcohol and drug abuse. Overall, there appear to have been more historical and recent improvements in ACEs than deteriorations. But the US still lags conspicuously behind other developed countries on many of these indicators. CONCLUSION: Awareness of improvements, as well as persistent challenges, are important to motivate policy makers and practitioners and to prompt them to recognize the feasibility of success in the prevention of ACEs.

Exploring the interrelatedness of risk factors for child maltreatment: A network approach.

BACKGROUND: Theories on the etiology of child maltreatment generally focus on the interaction between multiple risk and protective factors. Moreover, the quadratic model of cumulative risk describes a threshold at which the risk of child maltreatment increases exponentially, suggesting a synergistic effect between risk factors. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the interrelatedness of risk factors for child maltreatment. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample consisted of risk assessments performed for both high-risk families (n = 2,399; child protection services) and lower risk families (n = 1,904; community outreach services). METHODS: Network analyses were performed on parental risk factors. Three networks were constructed: a cross-sample network, a high-risk network, and a lower risk network. The relations between risk factors were examined, as well as the centrality of each risk factor in these networks. Additionally, the networks of the two samples were compared. RESULTS: The networks revealed that risk factors for child maltreatment were highly interrelated, which is consistent with Belsky's multi-dimensional perspective on child maltreatment. As expected, risk factors were generally stronger related to each other in the high-risk sample than in the lower risk sample. Centrality analyses showed that the following risk factors play an important role in the development of child maltreatment: "Caregiver was maltreated as a child", "History of domestic violence", and "Caregiver is emotionally absent". CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that studying the interrelatedness of risk factors contributes to knowledge on the etiology of child maltreatment and the improvement of both risk assessment procedures and interventions for child maltreatment.

99 Reasons and He Ain't One: A Content Analysis of Domestic Homicide News Coverage.

Domestic violence is a widespread issue, with victims suffering emotional and physical harm and severe cases resulting in homicide. Media presentation of these extreme instances may affect public opinion and related policies. The current study considered the portrayal of domestic homicides in Canadian print news, using articles published in the Vancouver Sun between 2004 and 2015. A content analysis shows domestic homicides were portrayed as isolated incidents and perpetuated the notions of victim blaming and offender excusing, rather than as connected to a pattern of domestic violence. This portrayal may affect how domestic violence and homicides are perceived and addressed.

The punch-drunk boxer and the battered wife: Gender and brain injury research.

This essay uses gender as a category of historical and sociological analysis to situate two populations-boxers and victims of domestic violence-in context and explain the temporal and ontological discrepancies between them as potential brain injury patients. In boxing, the question of brain injury and its sequelae were analyzed from 1928 on, often on profoundly somatic grounds. With domestic violence, in contrast, the question of brain injury and its sequelae appear to have been first examined only after 1990. Symptoms prior to that period were often cast as functional in specific psychiatric and psychological nomenclatures. We examine this chronological and epistemological disconnection between forms of violence that appear otherwise highly similar even if existing in profoundly different spaces.

[Trends in verbal bullying, domestic violence, and involvement in fights with firearms among adolescents in Brazilian state capitals from 2009 to 2015]. / Tendência de bullying verbal, violência doméstica e envolvimento em brigas com armas entre adolescentes das capitais brasileiras de 2009 a 2015.

This study analyzes time trends in verbal bullying, domestic violence, and involvement in fights with firearms among adolescents in Brazilian state capitals from 2009 to 2015. The study of trends uses data from the Brazilian National Survey of School Health (PeNSE) in 2009, 2012, and 2015 among ninth-graders enrolled in public and private schools in the country's 26 state capitals and the Federal District. The analysis focused on domestic violence, verbal bullying, and involvement in fights with cold steel weapons and firearms in the 30 days prior to the interview. Logistic regression was performed, adjusted for sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics, with analysis of each type of violence in Brazil and in the capital cities, according to sex. The trends were spatialized. For the capital cities as a whole, from 2009 to 2015 there was an increase of 12% (95%CI: 1.11-1.14) in domestic violence, 10% (95%CI: 1.08-1.11) in verbal bullying, and 7% (95%CI: 1.05-1.09) and 7% (95%CI: 1.05-1.08) in involvement in fights with firearms and cold steel weapons, respectively. Domestic violence increased in all the capital cities. In 96.3%, 70.4%, and 62.9% of the capital cities, respectively, there were increases in verbal bullying and involvement in fights with cold steel weapons and firearms, while there were stationary trends in the other capital cities. There was an upward trend in these forms of violence in the majority of the capital cities, evidencing the need to implement public policies to mitigation the different types of violence among adolescents.

Objetivou-se analisar a tendência temporal de bullying verbal, a violência doméstica e o envolvimento em brigas com armas entre adolescentes, nas capitais brasileiras, entre 2009 e 2015. Fez-se estudo de tendência, com uso de dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) realizada em 2009, 2012 e 2015, com escolares do 9º ano do Ensino Fundamental de escolas públicas e privadas nas 26 capitais do país e no Distrito Federal. Analisou-se a ocorrência de violência doméstica e de bullying verbal, bem como o envolvimento em brigas com uso de armas branca e de fogo nos 30 dias anteriores à entrevista. Realizou-se regressão logística ajustada para características sociodemográficas e comportamentais, com análise de cada tipo de violência no Brasil e nas capitais, segundo sexo. As tendências foram espacializadas. Para o conjunto das capitais, houve aumento, entre 2009 e 2015, de 12% (IC95%: 1,11-1,14) para violência doméstica, de 10% (IC95%: 1,08-1,11) para bullying verbal, de 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,09) para envolvimento em brigas com armas de fogo e de 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,08) para envolvimento em brigas com arma branca. Em todas as capitais, houve aumento na violência doméstica. Em 96,3%, 70,4% e 62,9% dessas cidades, observou-se aumento de bullying verbal, envolvimento em briga com arma branca e envolvimento em briga com arma de fogo, respectivamente. Nas demais capitais, observou-se tendência estacionária. Identificou-se tendência de aumento das violências na maioria das capitais, evidenciando a necessidade de implementação de políticas públicas que contribuam para minimizar esse problema entre os adolescentes.

El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la tendencia temporal de bullying verbal, violencia doméstica e implicación en peleas con armas entre adolescentes en las capitales brasileñas entre 2009 y 2015. Se trata de un estudio de tendencia, usando datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud del Escolar (PeNSE) realizadas en 2009, 2012 y 2015, con escolares del 9º año de enseñanza fundamental, en escuelas públicas y privadas de las 26 capitales del país y Distrito Federal. Se analizó la ocurrencia de violencia doméstica, de bullying verbal, así como la implicación en peleas con uso de armas blancas y de fuego durante los 30 días anteriores a la entrevista. Se realizó una regresión logística ajustada para características sociodemográficas y comportamentales, con análisis de cada tipo de violencia en Brasil y en las capitales, según el sexo. Las tendencias fueron espacializadas. Para el conjunto de capitales hubo un aumento, entre 2009 y 2015, de un 12% (IC95%: 1,11-1,14) para violencia doméstica, de un 10% (IC95%: 1,08-1,11) para bullying verbal, de un 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,09) y 7% (IC95%: 1,05-1,08) para implicación en peleas con armas de fuego y blanca, respectivamente. En todas las capitales hubo un aumento de la violencia doméstica. En un 96,3%, 70,4% y 62,9% de las capitales se observó el aumento de bullying verbal, implicación en peleas con armas blancas y de fuego, respectivamente. En las demás capitales, se observó una tendencia estacionaria. Se identificó una tendencia de aumento de la violencia en la mayoría de las capitales, mostrando la necesidad de implementación de políticas públicas que contribuyan a la minimización de los diferentes tipos de violencia entre los adolescentes.