11/26/2022
By: Natasha Antoniuk
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, adolescents have had to deal with an influx of negative effects. Some of these effects are in the area of at-home violence and abuse, meaning that children have had to deal with various types of abuse, including physical, mental, and sexual. Another factor that adds to these scary realizations is that, in many countries, teachers are not able to pick up on signs of at-home abuse on students, meaning that those that would have been noticed and able to receive help are not getting as much attention as they would have been getting before Covid-19 struck. [1]
One reason that abuse has gone up throughout the globe is that the increased stress families are placed under may increase the likelihood of taking out those negative emotions in harmful ways. According to the World Health Organization, “In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%,” which the WHO notes that is likely a result of the “Loneliness, fear of infection, suffering and death for oneself and for loved ones, grief after bereavement and financial worries” that came as a result of the pandemic. [2] Many people lost easy access to support systems, such as therapy, family, and friends. When coupled with the fact that families and individuals are typically under greater levels of stress as a result of the pandemic and the related effects of it, this puts people at a greater risk of becoming abusive to those around them by letting out their emotions in harmful ways. According to Human Rights Watch, “The UN Secretary-General has reported a “horrifying” global surge in domestic-based violence linked to COVID-19.... One Texas hospital reported treating six children under the age of 4 who had been severely physically abused during the course of one week. Doctors believed the assaults were linked to stress from the coronavirus.” [1] Adolescents, especially young children, are typically weaker and less likely to fight back for a variety of reasons, including that they may not realize the abuse that they are receiving. The child may be embarrassed of what has occurred, afraid for themselves or their family, or unsure about whether the abuser has done anything wrong, possibly believing it was brought about by the abusee’s actions. [3]
Furthermore, teachers who “are often best positioned to identify children who may be experiencing violence in the home and seek appropriate intervention,” are not able to recognize these students who are in harmful situations and, therefore, a larger number of child abuse scenarios are likely going unreported. [1] For many children, there is at least one adult, likely their teacher, in their school that they are comfortable around and trustful of, meaning that they may feel more comfortable talking to that teacher about the abuse they are receiving. [4] However, as a result of the switch of many school systems from in-person learning to online learning for a time period of anywhere from a few months to multiple years, abused students may feel less open to discuss issues with a teacher while in an environment where they may around their abuser, since they would likely fear an increase in abusive behavior towards themself or others in their family. Along with this, students are likely forming less of a connection with their teachers, since there is less of an opportunity for one-on-one conversations, a result of how it is extremely difficult to have a two-person conversation while on a call with many other students. Conversations like this are not private and may feel awkward to the people involved. Overall, without access to teachers, child abuse reports have likely been decreasing because of the inability of a teacher to realize the harmful behavior an adolescent is being put through.
Another result of the Covid-19 pandemic is that children are experiencing maltreatment through neglect, which comes as a result of the decline in mental health of caregivers, increase in work time to make more money, and inability to arrange care for children that must be left at home instead of going to school during the workday. [1] This means that many children were left at home without supervision, putting adolescents, especially young children or adolescents with mental or physical health disorders, at risk of issues resulting from isolation and the general inefficiency of young children to complete tasks.
Overall, children are suffering in many ways from the Covid-19 pandemic, a portion being in the section of at-home abuse and neglect. We must pay more attention to the health of adolescents and servicing these at-risk youths to keep them safe during the pandemic.
Sources:
[1] “Covid-19 and Children's Rights.” Human Rights Watch, April 9, 2020. Accessed October 16, 2022. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/09/covid-19-and-childrens-rights#_Toc37256529.
[2] “Covid-19 Pandemic Triggers 25% Increase in Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression Worldwide.” World Health Organization, March 2, 2022. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide#:~:text=COVID%2D19%20pandemic%20triggers%2025,of%20anxiety%20and%20depression%20worldwide.
[3] “Why Children Do Not Tell about Abuse.” Parents Protect. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.parentsprotect.co.uk/why-children-do-not-tell-about-abuse.htm.
[4] Gulbrandson, Kim. “3 Reasons Why Educators Are Essential to Child Abuse Prevention.” Committee for Children, March 31, 2019. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.cfchildren.org/blog/2019/03/key-reasons-why-educators-are-essential-to-child-abuse-prevention/.
[5] McDonald, Kerry. “Social Isolation Is Damaging an Entire Generation of Kids.” FEE Freeman Article. Foundation for Economic Education, September 8, 2020. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://fee.org/articles/social-isolation-is-damaging-an-entire-generation-of-kids?gclid=CjwKCAjwzNOaBhAcEiwAD7Tb6MXk3WR_s4Cu4zOE6IqjTeGEQEr053Qw2cHJSOgWCcUU4sA7113qshoCHukQAvD_BwE.
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