Domestic violence – the case of Sweden during the pandemic

13 October, 2020

Violence within the home is the most common form of interpersonal violence for women. While children and men are also victims of abuse of various kind within the family, intimate partner violence committed by men against women is generally the most common form of domestic violence. Has intimate partner violence increased in Sweden during the current COVID-19 pandemic?

Globally, a third of women that have ever been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partner. Almost 40% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner (WHO, 2013) and an additional 25% by another family member (UNODC, 2019).

Sweden is unfortunately no exception to these patterns, despite the strong culture of gender equality. Watch the presentation hosted by Utbildningsradion (UR) as Assistant Professor Maria Perrotta Berlin shares her insights on why domestic violence have increased since the start of COVID-19 pandemics.

Or watch Maria's webinar presentation "Economic Determinants of Violence in the Home: The Case of Sweden during Covid-19" on our YouTube channel. See the short teaser below!