Institute for Social Development Studies and Hanoi School of Public Health, sponsored by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, have conducted a research study with an aim to examine impacts of the pandemic on women who were victims of domestic violence in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The study was deployed and implemented from June to September 2020 combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A total of 303 women aged 18-60 living in Ha Noi and used to be victims of mental, physical and sexual violence from their husband/partners were recruited to participate in this research.

The research study found 99% of couples had marital/domestic conflicts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Up to 80.9% of women reported suffering from controlling behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic; 34% experienced economic violence; the rate of women being abused psychologically and physically are 87.8% and 59% respectively. Furthermore, 25% of women were found to be victims of sexual violence.

What is noteworthy is that the majority of women respondents stated that all forms of violence occurred more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic. In specific, 84% of women said that controlling behaviours took place more often; 91% experienced more mental violence; 93% said physical violence occurred more frequently, among which 56% experienced physical violence more than five times, 30% from two to five times while 10% experienced it once; 79% said they were sexually abused more during the time of the pandemic, of which 52% experienced sexual abuse more than five times, followed by 37% from two to five times.

Up to 80.7% of women reported damage and/or injury caused by physical, psychological, and sexual violence. 75.2% of women endured emotional injury, while the figure is 43.3% for physical injury. About a third (31.7%) of the women need medical care due to the violence caused by their husbands/partners.

Among women experiencing domestic violence, 45% sought help to escape their situation. The rates of women who said that to find help when domestic violence occurs during the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult and very difficult are 17% and 2% respectively. During the pandemic, 51% of women who are victims of domestic violence had suicidal thoughts, among which 7.2% attempted to commit suicide.

Addressing the increase of domestic violence against women during COVID-19 pandemic would requires a considerable amount of efforts from the government and active cooperation between government agencies, social orgainisations and communities.