SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic's Impact on Domestic Violence Assistance: The Portuguese Stakeholders' Perspective

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has largely exposed pre-existing inequalities, deepening prevalent vulnerabilities and resulting in large and insidious impact on people's lives. Gender-based and domestic violence was configured within perverse and serious circumstances, as victims and aggressors were forced to remain in the same spaces, because of the confinements and mobility restriction, demanded by Governments worldwide to protect Global Public Health. In Portugal the situation was no different. A qualitative study was addressed to assess narratives and perspectives of key stakeholders and workers in the field. In-depth semistructured interviews were applied to six professionals with crucial roles both in terms of representation of the State and local structures, intervention, and response in the processes of domestic violence, as well as acting directly with victims. The results show important gaps in addressing domestic violence during the confinements. Nevertheless, our participants unanimously stated that social isolation associated to economic crisis intensified the occurrence of domestic violence and hinder victims' access to adequate care services. Additionally, the shortage of human resources in this area, and lack of adequate investment and financial resources contributed to impoverishment of health, protection, and guarantee of dignity and human rights for victims of gender-based and domestic violence.