Covid-induced intimate partner violence: scoping review from Africa between 2020 and 2022

Intimate partner violence (IPV) gained global notoriety as a preventable public health menace affecting 30% of women worldwide. The IPV which is implicated as a significant cause of premature mortality and morbidity worldwide, increased during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to synthesize evidence regarding the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the incidence of IPV in Africa, occurring between 1st January, 2020 to 31st December, 2022. Using the Tricco et al. (2018) procedure, a thorough literature search was done in PubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, Dimensions, Taylor and Francis, Chicago Journals, Emerald Insight, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv. Consistent with the inclusion and exclusion protocols, 10 peer-reviewed articles were eligible and used for this review. We report that : (i) the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic escalated the vulnerabilities of people to economic hardship, resulting in the increased incidence of IPV between 2020 and 2022 in Africa, (ii) psychological/emotional abuse was the most prevalent form of IPV suffered by victims, (iii) mental health conditions were the most reported effects of IPV on victims. The prevalence of IPV could undermine the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDG)s 2.2, 4, 5.2, 11.7, and 16 by Africa, limiting the continent's quest to achieve full eradication of all types of violence against women. This study appears to be the first to review the literature on how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic influenced the incidence of IPV in Africa. We recommend that governments provide women with financial support using social support schemes, create sustainable livelihood opportunities for women, and intensify public sensitisation and education about IPV and available help-seeking opportunities. We recommend a study into the structures available for dealing with IPV in Africa.