During the first few months of the pandemic the media posted news stories of the largest mass shooting in Canadian history in our own province in Portapique; depicted images of global marches against anti-black racism and described marked increases in violence against women and children all while social isolation or distancing measures were enforced. These early months of the pandemic were characterized by hoarding and fear and at the same time acts of generosity and a swiftness of innovative responses unimagined before the pandemic. Examples included new housing options for the homeless, releasing inmates from prisons and a renewed call for equitable access to a living wage for all.
The implications of the COVID 19 pandemic signal both tragedy and possibility. I would like to consider the amplification of the concurrent pandemic of violence against women and children during the COVID 19 pandemic as a renewed call to action. The enforced ‘pause’ as a result of social isolation or distancing measures in response to COVID-19, has led many people to re-imagine a different world and ignited social movements across the globe. Critically reflecting on this issue can provide opportunities to harness such imaginings in redefining ‘the possible’ in the quest for a more equitable and safer world. The pandemic has the potential to subvert the pervasive influence of gender-based violence by promoting collective notions of care.
It is difficult to obtain exact numbers about rates of gender-based violence because it is often shrouded in secrecy and shame. Experiencing violence, often by a person you love, harms your sense of safety, negatively impacts your self-esteem, and can result in feelings of shame, helplessness, and fear not to mention the range of physical harms. It is also referred to as relational injury. It can become normalized as something to be endured to survive. Many people who experience violence in their relationships would like the violence to end but may wish to remain in their relationship and keep their family together.
Experiences of violence are often shrouded by silence, secrecy and denial. However, for those who work in the anti-violence field the awareness of the pervasive nature of gender-based violence is a daily burden. It affects us all. Violence in relationships always has a spill-over effect to other people that can last for generations. We also know that the impacts of witnessing and/or being a victim of violence can influence the next generation.
Feminists advocate for the provision of wage parity in every industry; the mandatory presence of women on corporate boards; more equitable access to capital for women-owned businesses; and school curriculums that teach children about healthy gender roles and relationships at every age as necessary responses.
All of us can remember we are all in this together and that stressful times can lead to positive change and sometimes bring forth the best in us: kindness compassion and a commitment to social equity. You can advocate for the government to include economic strengthening programs so that no families are living below the poverty line because a large body of literature links economic insecurity to violence against women and children.
We can make a decision to reach out to three people a day by phone, facetime, skype, zoom or whatsapp to let them know they may be practicing social distancing but do not have to feel isolated. Violence against women and girls flourishes in isolation, silence and secrecy.
You can ask someone you suspect might be experiencing violence at home if they are OK and tell them that many women experience this form of violence and it is not OK and that the first step to things getting better is to talk about it.
The emblem of Nova Scotia stating ‘Strong Together’ implies that our response to violence must be collective and implicates societal and political responses. We have the power.
By Dr. Nancy Ross