Post-disaster violenceStudy shows violence against women increases following disasters

A new study shows that in the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster domestic violence against women tends to increase.

The report by Australia’s Women’s Health Goulburn North East organization finds thatviolence against women increased following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, Australia’s most lethal bushfire which killed more than 170 people and injured 414. On that day more than 400 individual fires raged across the country.

“This research presents the case for clear-eyed recognition of increased violence against women in the aftermath of disaster and a disaster response that protects women and offers options, while proactively recognizing the increased needs of men, to prevent family violence,” said Deborah Parkinson, the study’s chief researcher.

Parkinson explained that several factors contribute to increasing levels of domestic violence.

“Stress levels are high, perpetrators may have been ‘heroes’ and, following a disaster, men are often unemployed and sometimes suicidal,” she said. “Support services are over-burdened with primary and fire-related needs in the aftermath of a disaster and this serves to exacerbate a willingness to overlook violence against women.”

Parkinson added that this is the first study of its kind to specifically examine domestic violence in a post-disaster scenario.

“In the tumult of disaster recovery, relationship violence is often ignored, unrecognized and unrecorded,” she said.