Substance Use (SU) among Women in the Context of the Corollary Pandemics of COVID-19 and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Overall, services need to be provided to women who experience IPV in the context of SU as in many cases SU contributes to violence escalation. But more fundamentally, there are key society wide issues affecting IPV that rest on gender inequities and the lack of women’s power and control compared to men. This underpins ongoing IPV at all levels: in relationships; among bystanders and family members; in communities; among program providers; health care providers; and in social norms and societal institutions. Without underlying changes in gender norms, roles and attitudes, condoning and perpetuating IPV will continue. In short, health care and substance use service providers need to not only provide more coordinated and timely services, but also work in collaboration with others in education, health and development sectors to tackle substance use, IPV and the many gender inequities related to women ́s empowerment, equal rights and women’s roles.