Violence against women in the media during the Covid-19 pandemic

Documentary, qualitative research, in a virtual environment, carried out with 39 reports published in the newspaper O Globo and the Universo On-line portal, between March 2020 and July 2021, in Salvador - BA. Data organization followed the steps of content analysis, with a discussion based on the scientific literature.

Results:

In the analysis process, four core meanings were organized: social isolation denounces situations of domestic violence; Economic crisis and closed doors: justify more violence?; Tools available for ending violence against women: what changes with the pandemic?; The gender and color of violence in the pandemic.

Final considerations:

The media released alarming data on the intensification and susceptibility of women to different types and situations of violence, especially during social isolation, in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keywords:
Nursing; Mass media; Women; Gender-based violence; COVID-19; Social isolation

O GLOBO NEWSPAPER
SERIAL NUMBER DATE PUBLICATION	TITLE	RESULTS
01 04/02/2020	Women and children first: collectives create mapping of vulnerable mothers during the coronavirus crisis	Mapping of vulnerable mothers during the Covid-19 pandemic, including women facing situations of violence to guarantee basic life needs
02 04/03/2020	Coronavirus: pandemic impacts women differently. And this needs to be taken into account to face the crisis	Social isolation increased the exposure of women, especially black women, to situations of violence. An example is domestic violence favored by the fact that the victim had to live with the aggressor full time during that period. Thus, there was an increase in the rates of complaints to the violence services.
03 04/06/2020	UN calls for protection for women during coronavirus lockdown	Women were susceptible to violence within their own homes, after the beginning of restrictive measures. An warning is given about the need to include the theme of violence in response plans against Covid-19.
04 04/15/2020	Coronavirus: study points out the impacts of Covid-19 on women	The number of cases and reports of domestic violence has increased considerably around the world, especially among black and peripheral women. The factors that explain this situation include exposure of women to aggressors and difficulties in seeking help or reporting during social isolation.
05 04/22/2020	Coronavirus: during quarantine, domestic violence increases even more in Latin American countries.	Statistical data from several countries indicate the exponential growth of gender violence, femicides, requests for help and complaints since the beginning of confinement.
06 04/22/2020	Coronavirus: four nurses report the exhaustion experienced during the fight against Covid-19	Women are part of the group most vulnerable to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nurses are particularly vulnerable due to exposure to the coronavirus in their professional activities, and because of their role as caregivers in the home environment. Although they are responsible for domestic care, they are also included in the statistics of domestic violence.
07 04/28/2020	The new coronavirus pandemic will have 'catastrophic impact' for women worldwide, UN warns	During social isolation, there was an increase in the rates of domestic violence, forced child marriages and genital mutilations, in addition to the lack of access to contraceptive methods and family planning.
08 05/22/2020	I had no choice': economic crisis as a result of the coronavirus increases exchange of sex for housing	The Covid-19 pandemic has generated unemployment and loss of income, especially for women. During the period, the number of requests for sex in exchange for housing during social isolation increased.
09 05/30/2020	Coronavirus: reports of violence against women increase by 35.9% in April, during the quarantine	Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been an increase in reports of violence against women, especially domestic violence and attempted femicides. Most of the calls corresponded to information about the protection network and rights.
10 06/01/2020	Femicide cases grow 22.2% in Brazil during quarantine to contain new coronavirus	Twelve Brazilian states showed an increase in femicides committed by partners and ex-partners of the victims. The loss of income and the consumption of alcoholic beverages were considered factors that amplified the cycle of violence. On the other hand, limited access to justice led to a decrease in face-to-face complaints of harassment and sexual violence. Creation of the electronic police station for women, in São Paulo.
11 06/12/2020	New epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, Latin America sees numbers of domestic violence and femicides skyrocket	In Latin America there has been an increase in cases of violence against women, especially domestic violence because of the danger within the home favored by living with their aggressors. The rates of femicide and sexual violence were also alarming in the period. Complaint channels reported an increasing number of calls, although this number may be even higher due to the difficulty for people to seek help or report abuse due to the restriction on movement imposed by the pandemic.
12 06/19/2020	Mental health: women are at greater risk of experiencing psychological distress related to Covid	Among the impacts of the pandemic, mental health has been reported in several studies, revealing that women face a particular risk of increased mental suffering related to the scenario, especially because of their vulnerability to situations of violence.
13 06/30/2020	UN report warns of persistent violations of the rights of girls and women around the world	The pandemic has exposed the situation of extreme vulnerability in which millions of women live around the world. Increase in cases of domestic violence and violation of rights, through harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and forced child marriage.
14 09/06/2020	Coronavirus, Zika and Ebola: why women are most affected by pandemics	Pandemics have historically deepened inequalities between men and women. Women are more susceptible to the risk of domestic violence and are disproportionately disadvantaged by loss of income in times of economic instability.
15 09/30/2020	With the pandemic, women will lose 10 years of advances in the labor market	Susceptibility of women in situations of vulnerability to situations of violence, especially domestic violence. Factors that intensify greater exposure to vulnerability: financial instability, lack of home and health structure, overload in daily life and care tasks.
16 10/19/2020	Femicides and violence against women increased during the pandemic, but complaints decreased	Increase in cases of femicide and requests for restrictive measures against partners and former partners. Decrease in records made at police stations and complaints related to bodily harm and rape due to restrictive measures.
17 11/23/2020	Covid-19 pandemic made violence against women skyrocket around the world	Increase in cases of violence against women around the world, with emphasis on rapes, disappearances and femicides. Overload faced by associations that help women victims of violence, increase in calls to report violence in different countries of the world, growth of sexist violence, including female genital mutilation and forced child marriage
18 11/25/2020	Violence against women persists, but the pandemic has removed victims from the health system in Rio: notifications have dropped by 34%	The Covid-19 pandemic has overloaded health units, and as a result, victims of violence have been removed from care services. In 2020, there was a reduction in the number of notifications registered in health services, although cases of violence were increasing exponentially at that time. The percentage shows that black women were the most affected by violence.
19 01/29/2021	Women are the majority on the front line, but are excluded from decision-making in the fight against Covid-19	Although 70% of frontline workers fighting the coronavirus are women, they are excluded from the participation in the disease response and recovery plans. Setbacks in gender equality have always been observed, however data show that the damage caused by the pandemic, such as the increase in domestic violence or the drop in income, became even more evident in this period.
20 02/10/2021	The pandemic leaves more than half of women out of the workforce in Latin America	The economic and social effects of the pandemic are expected to have a significant impact on women's autonomy, including their vulnerability to domestic violence.
21 03/04/2021	Five cases of violence against women were registered per day in 2020, according to a study conducted in five states	Records of cases of femicide and violence against women stood out in the pandemic. Criminals - companions of the victims. Peripheral women had less access to reporting channels.
22 03/07/2021	Brazil recorded 105,000 reports of violence against women in 2020; almost 300 a day	There was a significant increase in reports of violence against women in 2020 in Brazil, most of them concerning intra-family violence. Main measure adopted by the federal government - disclosure of service channels. Complaints also began to be made via the mobile application. Main victims - brown women aged 35-39 years old, with high school education and income of up to one minimum wage. Aggressors: white men, between 35 and 39 years old.
23 03/08/2021	Number of women victims of domestic violence in Rio was 250 per day during the Covid-19 pandemic	The alarming increase in cases of violence against women and femicides. Underreporting due to the imposition of restrictive measures and full coexistence with the aggressor, usually the victim's partner or ex-partner.
24 03/08/2021	Violence against women: a hidden pandemic made worse by Covid-19	Exacerbation of gender-based violence against women. Increase in the number of calls to gender-based violence hotlines, and in some cases more people requesting access to shelters or other support services. Increased risk factors for violence.
25 03/17/2021	Favela mothers: without income and without government aid, women feed their families with donations coordinated by the communities	The economic and social crisis directly affected women, single mothers and informal workers. Thus, assisted vulnerability leads to gender violence, an emergency issue. During this period, many women began to survive on donations and emergency aid and were subjected to male control, in the form of violence.
26 03/29/2021	'He held me captive and abused me': the terrible daily lives of victims of domestic violence in the pandemic	Significant increase and severity in cases of violence against women, since the beginning of confinement, worldwide. Increase in the number of requests for emergency shelter and complaints to service channels. Increased unemployment, alcohol and drug consumption and reduced access to social services during the pandemic are other factors that have aggravated the situation.
27 06/07/2021	One out of four Brazilian women suffered violence during the pandemic, according to a study	The moment of breaking up the marital relationship is the moment of greatest risk and exposure of women to violence. The most severe cases are reported among separated and divorced women.
28 06/14/2021	Amid the increase in sexual violence in the pandemic, a group fights for the right to safe and legal abortion	Increase in the number of requests for legal abortion as an indicator of the increase in sexual violence in the country during the pandemic. Main victims - girls up to 12 years old.
29 07/15/2021	In Brazil, one complaint of domestic violence was registered per minute in 20200	Significant increase in calls to the 190 number to report occurrences of domestic violence and increase in the number of urgent protective measures granted by the courts of justice in 2020 - indications that the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic has exacerbated violence against women. Decrease in the number of face-to-face complaints, mainly reports of threats, sexual harassment, rape and rape of vulnerable people.
UOL
SERIAL NUMBER DATE PUBLICATION	TITLES	RESULTS
30 04/14/2020	From domestic violence to unemployment, the coronavirus is more cruel to women	Increase in domestic and sexual violence, as a result of social isolation, and the possibility of online reporting in cases of violence, in the state of São Paulo.
31 05/08/2020	Women form support networks against domestic violence during the pandemic	Covid-19 pandemic, social isolation, economic crisis, mental illness - abrupt increase in cases of violence against women and in femicide rates. Promotion of outreach campaigns, apps, guidance by women-led organizations to break the cycle of violence.
32 07/21/2020	Covid-19 pandemic is affecting women's mental health, UN warns	Unpaid work, loss of employment and income, the increase in domestic violence due to the pandemic may be contributing to the mental deterioration of women, especially those aged 10-24 years.
33 08/2020	THE OTHER OF THE OTHER: Violence against black women did not start during the pandemic	Violence against women does not happen only in Brazil, but here there is an extra impact, as to this problem are added those resulting from racial violence, enormous economic inequality and many others, such as slums and unemployment.
34 11/23/2020	Violence against women soars around the world during the pandemic	Increase in cases of violence against women and femicides in several countries around the world and growth in the rates of complaints and calls to the pertinent channels in cases of violence against women caused by living full-time with the aggressors and limitations of access to justice.
35 03/05/2021	Women suffer in silence from domestic violence during the pandemic in Brazil	Increase in cases of domestic violence in the first months of the pandemic, due to the unemployment of couples and confinement with the aggressors. As the Covid-19 outbreak has subsided, the number of complaints has increased and more women have left their homes to report to the police.
36 03/09/2021	The pandemic caused a negative transformation in the lives of women in Latin America	The Covid-19 crisis highlighted another pandemic, more invisible and difficult to fight: gender violence.
37 03/12/2021	Every minute, 25 Brazilian women suffer domestic violence	15% of Brazilian women aged 16 or over reported having experienced some type of psychological, physical or sexual violence perpetrated by relatives or intimate partner/ex-partner during the pandemic. Figures compatible with the profile of victims of femicide in the country (women aged 30-44 years old and with low education).
38 04/29/2021	The pandemic delays participation of Latin American women in the labor market by 10 years	Women under the age of 25 with less access to education were the most impacted. The setback makes the situation of economic dependence borderline, with an impact on the increase in domestic violence.
39 06/25/2021	Three times more than men: during the pandemic, women spend more than 170 hours taking care of children	Effects of the economic crisis on the Covid-19 pandemic reduce wage equality, female participation in the workforce and unemployment, especially among black and Latino women; increase in the rate of cases of violence around the world.

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Escola de Enfermagem Rua São Manoel, 963 -Campus da Saúde , 90.620-110 - Porto Alegre - RS - Brasil, Fone: (55 51) 3308-5242 / Fax: (55 51) 3308-5436 - Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil
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[1] Corresponding author:
Lorena do Nascimento dos Santos E-mail: lorenanassant@gmail.com