The impact of COVID-19 on services for people affected by sexual and gender-based violence

Abstract

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and particularly intimate partner violence (IPV), has spiked dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the pandemic is impacting and interrupting SGBV and IPV services of all kinds. This paper focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical care and forensic medical documentation for SGBV survivors, including an analysis of the response in the UK and Kenya, and provides recommendations for safe implementation of these services during the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clinical care; Domestic violence; Forensic examination; Intimate partner violence (IPV); Sexual and gender-based violence; Sexual violence.