Public Health Directives in a Pandemic: Paradoxical Messages for Domestic Abuse Victims in Four Countries

Soma Gregory; Stephanie Holt; Christine Barter; Nicola Christofides; Ogopoleng Maremela; Nobulembu Mwanda Motjuwadi; Cathy Humphreys; Ruth Elliffe; Nicky Stanley

doi:10.3390/ijerph192114148

Public Health Directives in a Pandemic: Paradoxical Messages for Domestic Abuse Victims in Four Countries

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 29;19(21):14148. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114148.

Authors

Soma Gregory¹, Stephanie Holt¹, Christine Barter², Nicola Christofides³, Ogopoleng Maremela³, Nobulembu Mwanda Motjuwadi⁴, Cathy Humphreys⁵, Ruth Elliffe¹, Nicky Stanley²

Affiliations

¹ School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, University of Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland.
² School of Social Work, Care and Community, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK.
³ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
⁴ COPESSA (Community-Based Prevention and Empowerment Strategies), Johannesburg 1818, South Africa.
⁵ Department of Social Work, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic manifested urgent concerns were raised around the globe about the increased risk that public health restrictions could pose for victims of domestic abuse. Governments, NGOs and community services swiftly responded to convey the message that services for victims were operational and restrictions did not apply to those fleeing harm. This paper reports on the various approaches used to communicate this public health messaging during COVID-19, further highlighting strengths and learning which could inform future crises messaging. It utilises data gathered through a rapid review and mapping of policy and practice initiatives across 4 high-middle income countries: UK, Australia, South Africa and Ireland. Four themes were identified: (1) Top-down: National media messaging; (2) Top-down: Political leadership; (3) Traditional media vs. social media and (4) Bottom-up messaging: Localised, community-based messaging. It was found that a strong, clear top-down stance on domestic abuse was perceived as beneficial during COVID-19. However, a stronger focus on evaluation, reach and impact, particularly for minority groups may be required. Newer forms of media were shown to have potential in conveying messaging to minority groups. Community and grassroots organizations demonstrated their experiential knowledge in reaching target audiences. Harnessing this expertise for future crises messaging may be valuable.

Keywords: COVID-19; awareness raising; domestic abuse; national messaging; public messaging.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Government
Humans
Pandemics
Public Health
Social Media*

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Grant Ref: ES/V015850/1. The APC was funded by University of Central Lancashire.