In light of the development of COVID-19, stringent measures such as self-isolation and quarantine regulations have been put in place in order to minimise human contact and therefore slow down the spread of the virus. However, such circumstances seem to be a significant factor in the increasing number of domestic violence cases.

Domestic violence is an abusive behaviour by one person to another in a physical, emotional, sexual or economical form, which causes the other person to fear for their own or another third party’s safety and wellbeing. In Queensland, this type of action is governed by the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012. Last year, the National Homicide Monitoring Program report has found that on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner in Australia with 3,600 being hospitalised for injuries arising from domestic violence. [1]

Research provides that family violence is more likely to occur during periods of an emergency such as a pandemic. [2] The increased financial and psychological stress that affects the mental health and stability of individuals may impact many relationships. Furthermore, the risk for domestic violence victims has now been further escalated due to long hours spent with the perpetrator in their premises during quarantine and self-isolation.

In other states such as Western Australia, Legal Aid has increased its services in the community to provide those in need with greater access to legal support and has allocated additional resources to respond to family violence. Face-to-face services which are no longer conducted have all been moved to online or telephone communications.

Legal services such as the Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ) have also seen an increase of calls from women who fear for their safety due to being isolated with their abusive partner, however, with no additional funding from the government to fill in the gaps for all fundraising events that are now halted, they are lacking the financial support.

On March 29, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a promise of $150 million to boost funding for domestic violence services. Unfortunately, the announcement does not cover domestic violence legal services, which are vital for the practical support for the victims. [3]

Providing & Accessing Assistance

The Famin Makes Project, run by former UQ law student Famin Ahmed, donates all proceeds from selling custom items such as hats and scrunchies to WLSQ to support domestic violence victims who are seeking help. The project has been running to support WLSQ since mid-last year, however as Famin says, “it is more important now than ever because of the pandemic”.

You can view her Instagram page on @famin_makes or email faminmakes@gmail.com

It is important to keep in mind that although indoor spaces like our homes may be a threat-free zone to many of us, we must recognise and acknowledge that it may not be a safe zone for all individuals. A potential way to support those who are in danger may be by donating to the Famin Makes Project or other alternative avenues to help those in need.