COVID lockdowns intensify domestic violence for newly married women in Nepal

SAN FRANCISCO - June 24, 2021 - PRLog -- Despite progress in policy and programs, violence against women in Nepal is still widespread. New research following young women for two years shows that newly married women are especially vulnerable—and COVID lockdowns brought a drastic increase in domestic violence.

"No one has really studied what happens to women at this pivotal time of entering a new marriage," said Dr. Mahesh Puri, Co-Director at the Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA). "What we found is that this life change brings with it a higher risk of violence, from partners and other family members like mothers-in-law."

Reports of violence perpetrated by partners escalated quickly after marriage for these young women. A new paper published in AJOG Global Reports found that becoming pregnant or giving birth increased those odds even more.

"You might think that domestic violence during pregnancy would be less likely because so much value is put on a woman proving her fertility by giving birth for the first time," said Dr. Nadia Diamond-Smith, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California and an author of the study. "Instead, we found that all the stresses that come with adding a baby to the family put women at even higher risk."

The proportion of participants experiencing any recent violence increased substantially over time. By the end of the study, 58% of participants reported experiencing intimate partner violence, violence from another family member, or both in the previous 6 months.

The COVID-19 pandemic made an already dire situation much worse. Partner violence increased even more dramatically during the national COVID-19 lockdowns, increasing from about 50% six months before the COVID-19 lockdowns to 80% four months after the lockdowns. Young married women, who are already at risk of violence, were more at risk after COVID-19, and women who lived in households with food insecurity faced even greater danger.

"Along with enforcement of laws against domestic violence, immediate special attention needs to be paid to women during a crisis time like the current COVID-19 pandemic, especially those who experience other household stressors," said Dr. Puri.

You can access the paper Is there an association between fertility and domestic violence in Nepal here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266657...