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Dr. Bevan Hughes and Tracy Porteous: Gender-based violence amid COVID-19 is B.C.'s shadow pandemic

OPINION: We need everyone to not only boldly confront this issue, but commit resources to ensure that protective services for women are “essential” — hotlines, safe spaces, referral pathways, and justice mechanisms.

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Thanks to the unflinching resolve of our health-care workers, the commitment to social distancing by the community at large, and the steady hand and visionary stewardship of our public health leadership, we here in B.C. have been fortunate to have largely avoided overwhelming our health-care system.

As isolation measures gradually lift, we urge the people of our province to turn their gaze to the lesser known “front lines” that have emerged during this time. While the COVID-19 onslaught has been flattened for now, the prevalence of gender-based violence has surged with devastating consequences on the health of our communities.

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As a staff anesthesiologist and critical-care doctor at Vancouver General Hospital, I have found the COVID-19 pandemic one of the most challenging and stressful periods of my medical career.

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It’s been an emotionally and physically draining time for those of us trying to keep people alive and safe in the hospital. It’s been especially difficult to manage while draped in suffocating protective equipment, and implementing complicated and cumbersome new protocols — all while actively trying to prevent COVID-19 infection in our patients, our staff, and our families. The outpouring of support from the community has been unexpected, intensely heartfelt, and invigorating for all of us. The nightly chorus of pots and pans has brought me to tears several times as I prepared for another night shift spent struggling to care for COVID-19 patients.

Thankfully, we haven’t yet seen the huge numbers of infected patients we were anticipating. Unfortunately, what we are seeing is greater intimate partner violence: the unanticipated consequences of social isolation, physical distancing, and a slowdown of the economy.

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That’s why our team at Ending Violence Association of B.C. (EVA B.C.) has been working with B.C. Women’s Health Foundation to raise critically important funds to support front-line responders across B.C. who are now dealing with a surge in demand for help, as survivors emerge from isolation.

The United Nations named gender-based violence the “shadow pandemic” of COVID-19, because disasters exacerbate pre-existing gender inequities. Economic stress, social isolation, loss of jobs, and unstable emotional and mental health are all risk factors for violence — the exact dynamics we are seeing during this time. As women are increasingly isolated from the resources that can help them, they have fewer opportunities to distance themselves from their abusers.

Today, EVA B.C.’s over 300 programs across our province have pivoted to offer remote and virtual options for risk assessment, safety planning, and emotional support. These essential workers have been bravely facing this challenge, largely without the appropriate increases in funding and resources.

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Gender-based violence was already occurring at an epidemic level before COVID-19. It’s estimated that one in three women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. Sexual assault and intimate partner violence are the only two violent crimes in Canada that keep steadily increasing.

During this pandemic, one in 10 women in Canada is concerned about violence in the home. Gender-based violence has emerged as a “hidden” consequence of COVID-19. Our response must be anything but. It will take dedication, collaboration, and investment.

It will take unlikely partnerships like ours — where the link between an anesthesiologist urging support for an anti-violence program might not be immediately obvious. But this pandemic has forced us to redefine and redraw the “front line.”

We need everyone to not only boldly confront this issue, but commit resources to ensure that protective services for women are “essential.” Hotlines, safe spaces, referral pathways, and justice mechanisms were vital in pre-pandemic times — and even more important in crisis.

Flattening the curve and facing down the invisible threat of this devastating virus has required that we all redeploy our resources to avoid being overwhelmed by a surge in critically ill COVID-19 patients. We now need the same dedication to revisioning how we fund programs for gender-based violence.

Dr. Bevan Hughes is the co-director of clinical services in the Department of Anesthesia at Vancouver General Hospital. Tracy Porteous, is the Executive Director of the Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC)

If you or someone you know is experiencing violence — VictimLinkBC is available 24-7 in multiple languages. It can be reached toll-free by calling 800-563-0808 or emailing VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca. The service is confidential and available across B.C. and Yukon.

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