Relationships in pandemic times and violence against women

Relationships in times of pandemic and violence against women

If there was an aspect that intensified and demanded greater care during the pandemic, it was certainly the demand for relationships. The greater coexistence inside the house, the adaptations of the work, the demands of the most present domestic tasks (such as the glasses that multiplied in this quarantine), the challenges with the care of the children (asking for a lot of creativity) made the development of new skills so necessary to be able to handle it all. It was not uncommon to notice in many states that the increase in this interaction has also intensified a series of social problems, giving the opportunity to look at phenomena that were even unnoticed. In this sense, the increase in cases of violence against women was also significant here in Rio Grande do Sul, revealing an increase of 66% of cases of femicide in this period compared to last year. In a scenario where data is already underreported, seeing this increase is quite worrying. There are many factors that at the moment make relationships even more vulnerable, be it the increase in tensions, fear, crisis, stress - even if this should never be understood as a justification for aggression. However, noticing the increase in cases at a time of greater isolation makes us question which way we are going and how we continue to act in our relationships. We know that there are a number of factors that influence the choice of maladaptive strategies - and here comes violence - to deal with conflicts, such as temperament, learning from parental figures, individual world views and cultural beliefs about what a relationship is. and what are the gender roles involved. The complexity of the phenomenon is high, but one thing is certain: we must not ignore it. Violence has gained space as a banal and invisible force in relationships, causing a series of serious consequences in the lives of those who suffer it. Acts of control, submission and manipulation are distorted as proofs of love and constantly reinforced. Therefore, whatever your role in the struggle to break this cycle, be aware of its manifestation and do not naturalize acts of violence, inside or outside a pandemic. Tamires Dartora - CRP 07/23893