Quarantine is now a necessary step for some, and though it has generally been beneficial, it has negative effects in their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a terrifying increase in domestic violence cases worldwide. Some countries faced more than a 30% increase in domestic violence reports. This occurred not only between partners but also among the family members in general.
COVID-19 lockdowns will become a threat to those people with the tendency of experiencing domestic violence in their house. If you want to help someone or prevent the violence from repeating, you have to know the cause and seek help.
Know The Causes
To tackle an issue, you have to know what caused them before deciding the best action to take. Research on domestic violence in COVID-19 lockdowns stated that one of the major causes is substance abuse. It includes alcohol and drug use. How’s substance abuse related to COVID-19 and the increase in domestic violence? Here’s why.
COVID-19 has caused the unemployment of thousands of workers. This pandemic leads them to become vulnerable and thus, growing their anxiety. Desperation and changes in daily routines might stress them. The restriction of meeting someone with social distancing rules and the time spent trapped inside their house emits negative feelings. Hence, inciting their needs to relieve themselves, and one of the common ways to get rid of the negative thoughts is alcohol consumption.
There was a 50% spike in alcohol consumption in March 2020. While the consumption of alcoholic beverages might relieve them from their negative feelings, it also impacts their behavior. Some of them calmed down or feeling relaxed, but other people might lose their self-control and become aggressive over the slightest trigger. Those are the common effect of alcohol consumption, especially when accompanied by drug consumption.
The aggressive behavior will endanger those people around the consumer, and in this case, the family members. It is often reported that domestic violence happened while the other party was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. When the consumption of those substances becomes an addiction, the risk of domestic violence will most likely increase. With the lockdowns implemented, many of the domestic violence victims are feeling threatened.
Seek Help
Domestic violence isn’t something that you can handle alone. Therefore, it is very important to work hand in hand and seek help from the professional teams. This knowledge doesn’t only for those struggling with domestic violence, but also very important for you to help people around you.
A very well-known way to handle domestic violence is to be in contact with the local hotline. It is very important for you to know the local hotline and seek help from them when the violence happened. But there are other ways that you have to know.
The first one is seeking help from a supportive family or relatives. Let them know about your conditions and keep them updated. Or, if you’re the one knowing someone is in trouble, let them know that you’re available for them. Most of the married couples might feel embarrassed to admit domestic violence in their household. Thus, your support and encouragement for them to open up are needed. One important reminder for you: know your limit.
The second way is to seek help from professionals. When you’re dealing with domestic violence caused by an alcohol or a drug addict, get in touch with the nearest addiction rehabilitation center. Helping them get the proper treatment to free themselves from their dependence on drugs and alcohol will save their family from the possible domestic violence and help the addicts start a new and better life.
Seeking help from a psychologist will also help you deal with the victims of the violence. In most cases, domestic violence will impact someone’s mental health and might inflict the same cycle in the future. Therefore, an action with help from professionals will be very effective in preventing future domestic violence cases.
COVID-19’s lockdown might become a threat to someone who’s struggling with domestic violence. But that issue isn’t only occurring in the pandemic. Even when the lockdown policy lifted, domestic violence is still occurring and might increase from time to time. As you can’t solve that issue single-handedly, seeking help from professionals and increasing your awareness of other people’s struggles will become an important milestone. So, are you ready to help others?
