Upon the request of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Ms Dubravka Šimonović, the Ombudsman’s Centre for Human Rights  prepared information regarding the gender-based violence against women and domestic violence in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June and July 2020, the Ombudsman collected the following information from the Ministry of Interior and NGOs and state-run social work centres regarding the impact of the restrictive measures and lockdowns in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic on women, victims of domestic violence.

From 16th March to 31st May 2020,  the police treated 351 persons as victims of domestic violence criminal offences which is a 10,93 per cent increase in comparison to the average in the previous five years. Two hundred ninety-five were women (84 per cent).  During the same time, the police handled 541 cases of misdemeanours of “violent and daring behaviour” towards an intimate partner or a family member which is a 5,71 per cent decrease in comparison to the average number of cases in the previous five years. Among 389 victims, 269 (69,15 per cent) were women. During that time, one person was reported as a victim of manslaughter by an intimate partner.

In its study on criminology in times of COVID-19, the Institute of Criminology at the Law Faculty Ljubljana noted that the police data on domestic violence is considered to represent a smaller share of all crimes committed, as the reporting rate is relatively low. Moreover, since control by perpetrators was much more intensive during the lockdown, seeking help could have been, therefore, difficult. In its statement during the lockdown, the police warned that the measures have caused people to spend more time at home, in the circle of the closest family, which can also lead to friction between family members. The police added: “Schools and bars are closed, and all other services are limited, which means that violence may exist, but no one sees it, and no one reports it. During this time, victims find it harder to break the cycle of violence and call for help. We are aware that, due to the current situation, it is less likely that victims would call the police, centres for social services or non-governmental organisations.”

In June 2020 the Ombudsman inquired regarding the availability and accessibility of protection orders and access to justice during the epidemic. The police imposed 194 protection orders from 16th March to 31st May 2020, similarly to the numbers in the same period in the last five years. The courts continued to hear cases in “urgent matters”, concerning the of violence against women, that included matters where the defendants were deprived of their liberty and requests for prohibition orders under Article 19 of the Family Violence Prevention Act.

The Ombudsman also inquired regarding the availability and accessibility of helplines and shelters for women victims of domestic violence during the epidemic. Helplines were available, some 24 hours 7 days a week. Some NGOs and social work centres reported an increase in the number of calls, while others didn’t see any change in demand for their services. Some suspected that was due to increased presence of the abusive partner leaving the victim with fewer opportunities to access help via telephone. NGO’s reported using new ways to communicate to provide psychosocial support to survivors of violence through Skype, Messenger, Facebook video call and made additional attempts to reach victims of violence, including by increasing their media presence and putting up posters with helpline numbers in big supermarket chains.

Shelters and crisis centres remained open and available throughout the epidemic. However, NGOs and social work centres running the shelters or crisis centres reported to the Ombudsman upon our inquiry the following obstacles encountered during the COVID-19 lockdown:

• Victims of violence isolating with an abusive partner found it more challenging to call for help due to the constant presence of the perpetrator.
• No public transport was available to get to the shelters, crisis centres or access other help services.
• Lack of protective equipment in shelters at the beginning of the epidemic.
• The staff in shelters and crisis centres was additionally burdened with alleviating emotional distress brought by the epidemic, helping with the homeschooling of children during the school closures and doing grocery shopping for the users of the shelters.
• Lack of detailed information/protocols for handling and responding to infections in shelters and crisis centres.
• Lack of isolation/quarantine options in existing shelter capacities. Several organisations expressed concern that their premises and capacities would not suffice if they would face a case of COVID-19 infection among their users.

Ombudsman’s submission is available here