Intimate Partner Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Impending Public Health Crisis in Africa

With COVID-19 officially declared a global pandemic and changing the social, economic, and political dynam- ics worldwide, countries are taking different measures to tackle its spread to save lives, which now comes as the number one priority. Different countries are in lockdown with travel restricted and quarantine, self- isolation, and social distancing measures in place. Other than key workers who are allowed to travel for work, people are stuck at home for extended periods of time with access to only their immediate family. Much as these measures have been beneficial in flattening the curve and therefore proved effective in tackling the spread of COVID-19, however, they have, been associated with an increase in the reported cases of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) across the world, and this poses another public health challenge. With African countries already registering some of the highest global prevalence rates of IPV, it is essential to explore the impact of the COVID-19 measures will have on IPV in Africa.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, quarantine