Citation

Pashang S, Khanlou N. J. Concurr. Disord. 2022; 4(3): 52-64.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, CDS Press)

DOI

10.54127/PJRG6846

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In early 2020, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID- 19 spread across the globe, resulting in the World Health Organization classifying it as a pandemic and declaring a state of emergency. In response, many governments enforced lockdowns and implemented social distancing regulations to mitigate the risk of spreading of the virus. The intersection of the pandemic with the lack of gender-based emergency intervention strategies has endangered women and girls from two conflicting sites. They are confined at home, vulnerable to experiences of intimate and gender-based violence with limited available services to ensure their safety. This "shadow pandemic" has further increased gender-based cyber violence (G-BCV) where cyber perpetrators hide behind virtual identities to benefit from patterns of power and privilege, sexism and misogyny, racism, classism, and homophobia embedded in cyberpower. The magnitude of G-BCV is multifaceted in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. We advocate for coordinated prevention and intervention strategies during public health emergencies in order to tackle and mitigate G-BCV risks.

Language: en