The Effects of Covid-19 on Sexual Assault Survivors

Amidst the ongoing pandemic, the necessary quarantining that global citizens are partaking in has taken a drastic toll on many people’s lives. Whether it be the people hunkering down in shoe box apartments in New York City, or single mothers balancing work, household responsibilities, and now homeschooling, or even the millennials woefully returning to their parents’ homes to live in their childhood bedrooms, it is safe to say that people everywhere can relate to the hardships that Covid-19 has so eagerly presented. That being said, in these moments of hardship it is imperative to pay attention to the citizens who are facing the most turmoil during these difficult, unprecedented times. My sister living in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, might be cohabitating with two other humans in an apartment that would be much better suited for one (preferably small) human, but she expresses daily her sympathy and profound respect for those who are balancing the chaos of the current state of the world and parenting. Likewise, it might not have been my dream as a 23 year old to be living in the room that I experienced adolescence, puberty, and a rather unfortunate Justin Bieber phase in, but I wake up every day in a safe place knowing that there are two people in the other room who I can trust, and who I know will  provide me respect, space, and as much spaghetti as my heart desires. Not everyone is as fortunate. Currently there are hundreds of thousands of sexual assault survivors out there who are not able to have the privilege of feeling safe, either in their own homes or even in their own bodies.

The process of healing from trauma is already taxing due to the psychological, physical, and societal effects sexual assault has on a survivor. Now given the current climate it is extremely likely that these conditions will intensify said effects. Not only do the current conditions impede upon a survivor’s healing process, but these conditions can also increase the likelihood of future assaults. Despite this, public discourse surrounding this issue has been lacking, even with it currently being sexual assault awareness month. In order to address this, it is essential that as a society we look at the ways in which survivors are potentially being impacted during this time. Medical systems are currently over-run, making it difficult to access the intensive care that might be necessary. Reynolds (2020) states, “in March of last year, forensic nurse examiners in Washington, D.C., had encounters with 42 patients seeking treatment for sexual assault. As the novel coronavirus spread during the same month this year, they saw 24 patients, a 43% decrease from 2019”. Although the decrease could be associated with the overall decrease in crime, it is important to look at the fact that domestic abuse rates have increased, and sexual assault can be very much a part of domestic abuse. In addition to medical services, therapeutic services, whether it be talk therapy or trauma informed embodied approaches, are more difficult than ever to access and for survivors pursuing legal aid, assistance from law enforcement has the potential to be diluted due to severity of current Covid-19 related conditions (Me Too Movement, 2020). Sexual assault previously had the lowest reporting rate of all violent crimes (Bartol & Bartol, 2017, p. 378), so it is devastating to consider the impact the current climate might have on the rates of reporting.

The lack of necessary resources can be extremely dangerous for survivors, especially when combined with the fact that many survivors are being forced to quarantine in unhealthy households, which can play a negative role on survivors’ mental health. Toxic households have the potential to trigger negative effects of sexual assault on survivors. Additionally, dangerous living conditions can increase the chances of future assault and revictimization. Similarly, survivors in toxic workplaces, or in low wage jobs, are at an increased risk for heightened post-trauma symptoms and revictimization as well. Despite all of these troubling realizations, there was no explicit funding for sexual assault survivor programs and advocates (Me Too Movement, 2020). As a society we must spread awareness about the realities of what sexual assault survivors are facing daily. Organizations such as the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) offer resources and confidential hotlines to survivors. We are all capable of helping this cause through small steps such as, sharing links to these organizations and staying informed about the effects of Covid-19 on sexual assault and domestic violence survivors. We have to keep the conversation going.  

Citations:

Bartol, C. and Bartol, A.  (2017). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach (Eleventh Edition) Upper Boston: Pearson.

 #MeTooVoter response to COVID-19 for Sexual Assault Survivors. (2020). Retrieved April 26, 2020, from https://metoomvmt.org/advocacy/metoovoter-response-to-covid-19-for-sexual-assault-survivors/

Reynolds, M. (2020, April 23). How the COVID-19 Pandemic Creates Obstacles for Sexual Assault Survivors. ABA Journal. Retrieved from https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/how-the-pandemic-creates-obstacles-for-sexual-assault-survivors

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