Intimate Partner Violence During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The measures taken to prevent covid-19 pandemic have significantly impacted people's well-being and behaviour. Criminologists and international organizations have warned of the likelihood of an increase in domestic violence, especially violence against women. Data from many countries confirm these predictions as well. The analysis of police data on reported cases of domestic violence in Slovenia during the pandemic curiously shows a different picture: reports of domestic violence as a criminal offense and as a misdemeanour decreased compared to average statistics of the last ten years. Taking into account various criminological theories and a comparative perspective, however, it becomes clear that during covid-19, the gap between reported and actual intimate partner violence widened due to tighter controls of the perpetrator of violence against the victim, increased economic dependence of victims on partners, and victims' fear of an uncertain future.