COVID-19 and Intimate Partner Violence: A Closer Look in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life tough in many ways, including a rise in intimate partner violence (IPV) globally. But in India, the picture isn't so clear. Some studies show an increase in IPV during lockdowns, while others don't. This makes it important to understand how COVID-19 exposure affects IPV in India. A recent study used a method called 'intent-to-treat' to compare women exposed to COVID-19 with those who weren't. They looked at data from a big national survey. First, they described the women in the survey. Then, they used some math to see if COVID-19 influenced IPV reporting. Finally, they checked their findings with another method called Propensity Score Matching. The results showed something surprising: IPV seemed to go down during COVID-19. The study suggested this might be because women weren't reporting violence as much. This was true for women from different backgrounds. The study also said that this could be because women had less access to friends and social groups who usually help them report IPV. It could also be because alcohol use went down and women depended more on their male partners due to job losses during the pandemic. This study highlights the need for better ways to gather information about violence against women during unusual times like the COVID-19 pandemic.