The preliminary results of the project Impact of SARS-CoV-2 in the social determinants of Gender Violence: Proposals for Action and Intervention, funded under the “GENDER RESEARCH 4 COVID-19” support line, have been disclosed.
The project, coordinated by researcher José Peixoto Caldas, from the Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), was designed to characterize gender violence situations among women living in the city of Porto.
The researchers interviewed experts in the field of gender violence, social support workers, technicians from victim support structures and NGOs and collected the testimonies of domestic violence victims.
The preliminary results of the study were presented on March 23rd, during a workshop presentation and public discussion, organised by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).
The data disclosed refers to the perceptions of two specific groups that were under analysis: professionals belonging to public security institutions, public ministries and city councils, and academia and science experts.
Through in-depth interviews, the investigators explored the perceptions these different groups had about the impact of the pandemic on the experiences of gender violence (in terms of prevalence, processes, and dynamics), the challenges that institutions and professionals faced during the first lockdown, their assessment of the measures and public policies implemented to face this somber pandemic, as well as the action strategies they considered fundamental to implement.
Joana Topa, one of the researchers involved in the project, adds that all the parish councils in the city of Porto were contacted, with the purpose of “understanding how this proximity service assisted the citizens who were victims of violence”.
The impact of social distancing and remote work in the response to victims’ requests for help
From the interviews carried out with specialists in the field, it was observed that there was a decrease in the number of reported violence complaints during the first lockdown. However, this does not necessarily mean fewer occurrences, but rather less contact with the authorities. “Violence seems to have continued during the pandemic situation, although a decrease in the number of reports was felt. It probably will have undergone major changes, namely in the way it was perpetuated, and both in the frequency and severity of its perpetuation,” adds the researcher.
The social support and victim support structure professionals highlighted the increased difficulties that social distancing and remote assistance implied in the adequate response to the victims’ requests for help. Furthermore, they emphasised the impact of the pandemic on the performance of their institutions, which translated into an increased workload for the already reduced number of staff.
Regarding the measures implemented by the state, the professionals and specialists mentioned the promptness of the state response, through the presentation of support and response measures, but they consider it necessary to evaluate the implemented measures and to plan strategies to combat violence during future crisis situations.
The project’s contribution
José Peixoto Caldas considers that one of the added values of the project will be the use of the acquired knowledge to carry out specialization courses in the field of violence, with emphasis on gender violence. The courses would be directed towards civil servants, who are in direct contact with the population and who, throughout the interviews conducted by the researchers, highlighted the lack of adequate training as one of the main obstacles to a better assistance of victims of violence. The aim, according to José Peixoto Caldas, would be “to train State staff, in their specific sectors: health (doctors, nurses and hospital administrators), legal and social security, with the aim of empowering these technicians to be alert and aware”.
Reports will also be prepared with the final results and an informative folder will be produced, mainly for social and healthcare professionals, who are often in contact with victims of gender violence and lack adequate information about the appropriate procedures in response to these cases.
The project, entitled Impact of SARS-CoV-2 in the social determinants of Gender Violence: Proposals for Action and Intervention, is one of 16 projects funded by FCT, under the initiative “GENDER RESEARCH 4 COVID”.
Image: Pixabay/Ulrike Mai
