The nature of domestic violence experienced by Black and minoritised women and specialist service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic: practitioner perspectives in England and Wales

Abstract

Our article seeks to understand the contours of what has been termed a ‘dual pandemic’ in the UK: twin crises of increasing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) alongside the spread of COVID-19, both of which have disproportionately affected Black and minoritised communities. Our article draws upon the perspectives of 26 practitioners who provide specialist DVA services for Black and minoritised women and girls in England and Wales. Based on interviews with these practitioners, we explore the nature and patterns of the DVA which their Black and minoritised women clients experienced during the pandemic. Our findings highlight the pandemic-related risks and challenges that lead to specific manifestations of DVA within Black and minoritised communities and reveal the practice and policy landscape of the ‘by and for’ DVA sector during the pandemic and beyond.