INTERNATIONAL STORY report violence safely, say the researchers who worked on the report “Gender Analysis of the COVID-19 Response in the Republic of Serbia”, which was produced by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia 2014–2020. “It’s been confirmed worldwide that violence against women in the family and intimate partnership increased during the crisis, as well as the risk factors that impacted the manifestation of violence,” the report stated. “Hence, it is certain that during the state of emergency in Serbia and other countries violence against women has increased, not decreased.” This was also confirmed by the large numbers of women who sought help from women’s organizations during the spring of 2020. Although the number of reported cases of violence AN ACTIVIST POSES FOR PICTURE DURING A PROTEST BY NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) RIO DE PAZ (RIO OF PEACE) AGAINST RAPE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ON COPACABANA BEACH IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, JUNE 6, 2016. REUTERS/SERGIO MORAES COVID-19 AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SERBIA BY JOVAN DJUKIC The measures implemented around the world in the attempt to halt the coronavirus pandemic have triggered a parallel epidemic of violence against women. As part of Liceulice’s ‘COVID-19 and Marginalised Groups’ series, Jovan Djukic examines how Serbia has responded to the challenge of supporting women who are victims of domestic violence during the pandemic. WHEN THE STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS ANNOUNCED on March 15th, it was tagged with the message, “Stay home, stay safe.” However, it has turned out the be quite the opposite for women whose homes weren’t a safe place before the coronavirus pandemic. And there are lot of them. World Health Organization data paint a devastating picture of modern society, identifying that as many as one-third of women are exposed to some form of violence. Most often, this takes the form of economic violence, which is followed by psychological aggression and, finally, physical violence, which in its most brutal form leads to death in the form of femicide. STRESS AND UNCERTAINTY LEAD TO BREAKDOWN While the eyes of the public were focused on the novel coronavirus as it swept around the globe, violence could take place unhindered within four walls. “We were all caught by surprise by the rapid decisions that were made on restrictive measures – that includes non-governmental organizations, institutions, and the victims of violence themselves,” says Mirjana Mitic from the Autonomous Women’s Centre. “Restrictive measures, which included curfews and quarantine, facilitated the use of one of the basic techniques of the perpetrators of violence – the isolation of the victim. When it comes to domestic violence, in many cases the victim was unable to get in touch with other people and get 10 DENVER VOICE March 2021 necessary information and support. This made it easier for the perpetrator to convince the victim that there was no one to help and that state institutions had more important things to deal with.” Lidija Vasiljevic, a psychotherapist and feminist activist, explains that it was to be expected that any kind of pressure, and especially the great amount of stress and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, would affect even those who wouldn’t lose control under “typical” circumstances. “Violence is a form of communication, and people who lack control project themselves onto others,” she explains. “In our society, violence is also a mechanism for gaining false control and maintaining control in intimate partnerships. The longer people feel helpless and are exposed to a crisis, the more violence can be expected. Unfortunately, women are the easiest target: they are the ones closest to the perpetrator, they often have nowhere to go and, in the patriarchal system, it is thought that they deserve such treatment if they are not obeying [their partner]. The increase in violence is already happening, and we are yet to appreciate the true numbers [of those affected].” She points out that violence is not necessarily most common in families with a low social status and low level of education; however, members of such families often find themselves in the local news because conflicts can be more intense. MORE VIOLENCE; FEWER POLICE REPORTS According to the Ministry of the Interior, the number of women who reported violence during the state of emergency in 2020 was 48.6 percent lower than the average; however, organizations working with victims warn that this does not mean that the amount of violence decreased. The lower number of reports is a result of the limited ability to decreased, and the number of calls to the National SOS helpline remained unchanged, the number of women who contacted the Autonomous Women’s Centre during the first month of the state of emergency state tripled. The number of calls to the Human Rights Committee SOS helpline in Vranje increased by 25 percent, and the number of calls to the Roma Women’s Association – Osvit – in Nis doubled. According to Mirjana Mitic from the Autonomous Women’s Centre, the civil sector had to adapt overnight and transfer all its work online; as a result, SOS services were provided via mobile and messaging services such as Viber, WhatsApp and Facebook, and over e-mail. Women approached the Autonomous Women’s Centre primarily because state institutions were either not available or would give them conflicting and sparse information. There were also cases where women reported violence to state institutions but did not receive appropriate protection as the perpetrators were only given verbal warnings. “If you have institutions that do not send a clear message,” Mirjana Mitic says, “it cannot be expected that women will contact these institutions to report violence.” In addition, she says, it is vitally important to never ask women to report violence without first creating a safety plan; this is because reporting violence is the point at which the level of violence may escalate. MASK 19 AND OTHER SOLUTIONS The first wave of the pandemic in spring 2020 made clear the importance of the state reacting quickly and systemically during a crisis. Many countries came to the conclusion that banning movement is dangerous for women who are in intimate partnerships or share a living space with an abuser; as a result, a number of customized solutions were developed. The above-mentioned report by the OSCE Mission and Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia states that the introduction of a solution that would enable women to seek help without risking their safety was on the agenda of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, no specific solutions were implemented in Serbia. One of the few institutional reactions to the issue of domestic violence during the pandemic was the decision of the High Court Council, which stated that domestic violence cases should not be delayed as a result of the pandemic. Between March 15th and April 25th, 44 urgent measures were imposed against abusers, although it can be assumed that this number would be far higher if violence could have been easily and safely reported at the time. Sadly, there are numerous cases in which the existing solutions proved to be inadequate under the new, changed conditions brought about by coronavirus. For example, women’s safe houses accepted new users only if they were COVID-19 negative, but at that time you could only get tested if you were showing symptoms. Another blow to women at risk of violence was the case of a woman being sentenced for trying to report violence during the ban on movement – this despite the fact that top state officials encouraged her to do so on
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