The coronavirus pandemic has entered every home in one way or another. Strict lock-down measures to prevent the spread of the disease have caused a rise in domestic violence, which the UN is referring to as ‘the shadow pandemic’. To some, it is not safe to be home. Therefore, the UN Secretary General has called for governments to incorporate domestic abuse policies as a key part of their national response strategies against COVID-19.

Realizing those serious human rights violations and their direct association to financial hardship, which are on the rise due to the loss of jobs/ curfew as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan – with the support of Hivos – has immediately launched its 20^th poll, as part of its “Jordanians’ Barometer – The Pulse of the Jordanian Street” series of polls, to reflect on the effect of the coronavirus crisis on the degree of domestic violence exacerbation among Jordanian households during the curfew.

The poll was conducted between the 20^th -26^th of April, 2020, on a representative sample of the Jordanian community; taking into consideration the different age groups, educational levels and governorates. The collected data was processed and weighed by CSS research experts to ensure the statistical representation of all governorates, within a margin of ±3% error.

Commenting on the study, Salma Al-Nims, Secretary General of Hivos partner the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) said that there should be a focus on all types of violence, not just the physical. Furthermore, Al-Nims believes that the study might not truly reflect reality as women interviewed over the phone tend to deny having faced domestic violence even if they did. This claim is also based on the increased number of calls related to violence JNCW and other local NGOs have received during lock-down. She recommended to undertake another study once this crisis is over to investigate to which extent women were faced with violence in all its types during the lock-down.

To read the studies, click on the links below: 

Domestic Violence in Jordan Covid-19.English

Arabic. Coronavirus – Domestic Violence in Jordan (21_May)[689107]