CHE awarded funding to evaluate the impact of social distancing on domestic violence in Brazil

Posted on 14 September 2020

Rodrigo Moreno-Serra has been awarded funding from UK Research and Innovation through the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund.

COVID-19, social distancing and violence against women in Brazil (BRAVE) is one of twenty projects awarded funding, via the UKRI Agile Covid-19 GCRF and Newton Fund call, to support efforts to address the negative impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities around the world.

Domestic and gender-based violence is a major issue in Brazil. Significant increases in domestic violence episodes have been reported after social distancing measures were introduced in that and other countries to address COVID-19. The number of COVID-19 cases in Brazil are forecast to keep increasing, likely leading to further social distancing measures in the near future. BRAVE responds to an urgent need for evidence to guide pandemic-related policies to protect vulnerable women and mitigate the issue in Brazil and beyond.

In partnership with the University of Sao Paulo and non-academic local stakeholders, the project will evaluate the impact of social distancing on domestic violence in Brazil, and assess the indirect social consequences of increased domestic violence through health costs, labour productivity and supply, among other issues. BRAVE will use all this evidence to examine how public policies such as stay-at-home orders could be refined to better address any unintended consequences in terms of domestic violence.

Rodrigo Moreno-Serra said:
“The BRAVE project will improve our understanding of the consequences of social distancing on domestic violence against women, and help inform policies around safeguarding women during situations like the current pandemic.”

The BRAVE research team, led by Dr Rodrigo Moreno-Serrra (Principal Investigator), includes CHE Research Fellows Dr Noemi Kreif and Samuel Lordemus.

Link to University of York article.

COVID-19, social distancing and violence against women in Brazil (BRAVE) is funded by UK Research and Innovation through the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund.

Further funding information can be found here.