Domestic Violence on Children during the Pandemic

Define Domestic Violence During a Pandemic:

        Domestic violence is defined as violent behavior within a home, physically or mentally. It negatively influences the mental health of the victim and bystanders in the house. Now that the United States started to take precautions against COVID-19, a lot of families transitioned to a work-from-home lifestyle, especially for children when it comes to schooling. With this new lifestyle, children that are under 18 years of age will find it difficult to have a fulfilling educational experience, connection with their teachers, etc. Along with these situations, children have the possibility of continuously facing domestic violence within their household, due to the CDC’s safety precaution of staying indoors as a guaranteed procedure to prevent the spread of the virus. Although COVID-19 is a relevant issue affecting everyone, it doesn’t overshadow the domestic abuse of children under 18 years of age, especially within poor communities in Los Angeles. According to a study titled, “A spatiotemporal analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on child abuse and neglect in the city of Los Angeles, California,” by Gia E. Barboza, Lawrence B. Schiamberg, and Layne Pachl, the article includes a table that includes data from CAN in regards to child abuse, it portrays over 71.2 percent of the 661 CAN cases are children experiencing abuse within a “single-family dwelling” and “multi-unit dwelling” before COVID-19 through July 24, 2019, to January 19, 2020, while from January 20, 2020, through July 19, 2020, during COVID-19, 69 percent of the 614 cases was within a “single-family dwelling” and “multi-unit dwelling” (Barboza, Schiamberg, Pachl 7). Although the table demonstrates a decrease in cases from the overall abuse cases and the cases that are within households, there is still the speculation that some cases may not be reported.

        Images of Table 2 are from "A spatiotemporal analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on child abuse and neglect in the city of Los Angeles, California"

        Regardless, it doesn’t negate the fact that children are still dealing with abuse in their own homes. With CDC regulations advising families to stay at home, it allows the abuser to frequently find chances to abuse their own children, especially from visitors. Among this table, it's important to recognize the mental health of a child with the responsibility of attending school. According to the article titled “Domestic Violence and Education: Examining the Impact of Domestic Violence on Young Children, Children, and Young People and the Potential Role of Schools,” written by Michele Lloyd, “Domestic violence occurs at all ages. Sterne and Poole (2010) point out that the duration of children’s encounters with domestic abuse has a greater bearing on their stress levels than the severity of the abuse” (Lloyd 3). Now that children are meant to stay at home for their classes during the pandemic, they will frequently be strained mentally from their domestic abusers, whether they are parents or frequent visitors. In other words, their educational experience will diminish from continuously experiencing abuse. In addition, Lloyd mentions, “In older children, potential indicators of domestic violence include self-blame, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, risk-taking behavior, criminal behavior, poor social networks, disaffection with education, and eating disorders (Children’s Commissioner, 2018)” (Lloyd 4). Although older children may be more mature than children of a younger age, it doesn’t eliminate the possibility of having a mental illness that can end up taking their life. Furthermore, it will impact their transition to adulthood, making decisions that will influence their future have a negative impact on their future.

Personal Connection:

    The issue of children living inside a violent household is very difficult to overcome. Although I have not personally experienced living with domestic violence as a young adult nor child, I have a relative who is experiencing this kind of violent behavior in their own household. Currently, I am being a supporter for them along with my parents and relatives in my home. Although they have the opportunity to recognize a gateway for having someone to talk to, not every family has that channel available to them, especially in a poor neighborhood in Los Angeles that is so undermined by the lack of information available to us to overcome these issues. I chose this issue because It is as important as the pandemic. Although news broadcasts continue to mention the rise in cases, it is important to recognize all the other social issues, such as systematic racism, which is highlighted a lot this year. Although racism is a relevant issue, children are the next future. Now that the pandemic has stripped them of their experience as kids, having a layer of domestic violence along with a downgraded educational experience will impact their own mental health and motivation. It's very important to remind parents of their role to their children worst impacted than they are in the family.

References:

• Barboza, Gia E., Lawrence B. Schiamberg, and Layne Pachl. "A spatiotemporal analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on child abuse and neglect in the city of Los Angeles, California." Child Abuse & Neglect (2020): 104740.
• Lloyd, Michele. "Domestic Violence and Education: Examining the Impact of Domestic Violence on Young Children, Children, and Young People and the Potential Role of Schools." Frontiers in Psychology 9 (2018): 2094. Web.