COVID-19 and sexual violence against women: A qualitative study about young people and professionals’ perspectives in Spain

by Esther Castellanos-Torres, Belén Sanz-Barbero, Carmen Vives-Cases, CIBER Program of Violence and Young People team

There is an increasing awareness of the magnitude of different forms of sexual violence (SV), especially in relation to youth. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a negative impact on different forms of violence against women. In this study, we aim to analyse SV in the COVID-19 lockdown among young people and SV-related services from the perspective of professionals and young people from different sectors in Spain with responsibilities in attending SV and other forms of violence against women-related. A qualitative content analysis was performed on semi-structured interviews with 23 women and men aged 18 to 24 and 15 professionals working with youth and/or in violence against women or sexual violence related services. The sample was from northern, eastern and central regions of Spain. According to the professionals’ experience, the COVID-19 lockdown lessened their ability to work on violence prevention. Both informants perceived that sexual violence had decreased in public spaces whereas it increased in digital ones and noticed the silence surrounding violent situations had deepened. However, they differed regarding its impact on sexual violence within intimate partners, mainly due to the lack of awareness of this problem among young men. In regard to violence against women and sexual violence, our results highlight the need to develop protocols for action and improve resource accessibility in crisis contexts.