Domestic Violence Experiences Among Low-Income Families During the COVID-19 Era in Urban Zimbabwe.

Domestic violence has become rife in low-income families with poverty being the most contributing factor. The COVID-19 restrictions exposed most likely women to intimate partner violence (IPV). Lockdown restrictions worsened the economic conditions in the country and the livelihoods of low-income families in which reduction in earnings caused food insecurity among other problems that fueled misunderstandings. Low-income families reported increased levels of stress and domestic violence during the COVID-19 era. The burden of COVID-19 influenced the ballooning of intimate partner violence among other negative experiences. The presence of Lockdown restrictions highly intercepts women’s right to a life free from violence. COVID-19 seems to have exacerbated women’s vulnerability to suffering from domestic violence which is aggravated based on the lack of effective policy interventions and other protection mechanisms. The study aimed to explore the accounts of domestic violence among low-income families in Urban Zimbabwe based on the COVID-19 restrictions and establish intervention measures toward reducing the surge of domestic violence cases. A qualitative research approach was used in recruiting men and women living in urban communities in Bindura town, Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe. A multicase study approach was employed in this study to gain in-depth findings about domesticviolence in low-income families. The snowball sampling technique was used to recruit lowincome families that were heavily affected by COVID-19 restrictions. The sample of the study contained twenty-five respondents including ten professionals from the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises. Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used to generate data for the study. Reflexive thematic analysis was the main data analysis method that was employed. It was found that most low-income families in Bindura urban experienced domestic violence particularly emotional and physical with sexual violence at the least. It was also obtained that domestic violence negatively resulted in mental health problems, particularly in women and girls with children who were witnesses of domestic violence cases were traumatized. It was recommended that psychosocial support should be provided by human services professionals such as social workers in Zimbabwe to ensure that low-income families can cope with depressive situations that can affect their mental health.