“There were fewer calls, even though there was more violence”: Domestic violence in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic
“There were fewer calls, even though there was more violence”: Domestic violence in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary/Abstract: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, both NGOs and media around the world had reported an increase in domestic violence rates. Moreover, the nature of this violence has changed during the pandemic; monitoring organizations’ reports highlight both a rise in aggression and the emergence of violence in those families that were free from it before the pandemic. However, official statistics from Poland do not confirm these observations. The paper analyzes the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic violence in Poland. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out based on Google Community Mobility Reports, Blue Card statistics, reported crime statistics, the Police Command Support System, NGO statistics, and 27 in-depth interviews conducted in 2020 with experts affiliated to law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations. A full picture of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be made other than through analysis of a comprehensive body data, with cross-checks of various data sources.

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