What research evidence is required on violence against women to inform future pandemic preparedness? A scoping review of the research evidence and gaps.

Abstract

Introduction: Violence against women (VAW) during the COVID-19 pandemic was described as the 'shadow pandemic' with an increase in reports of VAW. As countries now focus on becoming more resilient to future pandemics, it is critical to understand what we learnt about evidence on VAW burden, prevention, and response during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO commissioned this scoping review to gain an understanding of the research evidence on VAW during COVID-19 and to inform future pandemic preparedness efforts.

Methods: Terms relating to VAW and COVID-19 were used to search six databases between 1 January 2020 and 11 February 2023, inclusive of all study designs. Data on thematic focus (ie, burden of violence and/or interventions/services), types of violence, study design, study setting and participant characteristics were synthesised.

Results: Of 25 080 identified records, 694 publications were reviewed in full text and 419 publications were included. The majority (>95%) of the published research was devoted to documenting the burden of VAW, while only 6.2% studied solutions (interventions/services), with even less emphasis on identifying how to prevent VAW in a pandemic context (1%). Gaps in research on VAW that existed prior to the pandemic on women who face multiple intersecting forms of disadvantage endured. Outstanding also was the gap in research on digital-mediated violence (<5%), even as reports of online facilitated violence soared. Additionally, gaps in evidence on specific types of violence such as femicide, forced marriage and acid attacks persisted.

Conclusion: That VAW will be a critical concern, and its impacts worsened during pandemics in the future is certain. The research community does not need to spend more on understanding the burden of forms of VAW but pivot to research to adapt and innovate how to deliver prevention and support services, especially to populations who are disproportionately impacted. In addition to addressing this broader gap in prevention and response during pandemics, further evidence is required on the specific area of technology-mediated violence, femicide, forced marriage and acid attacks.