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home / 世界杯决赛2022

some sexual assault survivors might have gone without treatment after the covid-19 pandemic hit, new research suggests

once pandemic restrictions began, sexual assault cases seen in emergency departments dropped by between 50-60 per cent.

by elizabeth payne
published jan 04, 2023
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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file: side view of empty hospital bed. lightfieldstudios / getty images/istockphoto
sexual violence increased in ontario during the tense weeks leading up to the start of the covid-19 pandemic, ottawa-based researchers have found. but once the pandemic began, the number of people seeking treatment for sexual assault plummeted, according to a just-released study.
the findings, published in the journal jama network open, worry lead author dr. katherine muldoon, senior research associate at the ottawa hospital, and dr. kari sampsel, medical director of the ottawa hospital’s sexual assault and partner abuse care program.
muldoon said researchers were surprised to see the spike in survivors seeking care in the weeks leading up to the start of the pandemic, a period in which tension was increasing as the world was watching covid-19 spread. 
“unexpectedly, we found a significant increase in rate of emergency department encounters for sexual assault in the two months leading up to the pandemic, potentially due to increasing stress in society.”
dr. katherine muldoon.
dr. katherine muldoon. the ottawa hospital
using data from nearly 200 emergency departments across ontario from january 2019 to september 2021, researchers found that the number of sexual assault survivors seeking treatment rose by 20-25 per cent during the two months prior to covid lockdown in march 2020.
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once pandemic restrictions began, cases seen in emergency departments dropped by between 50-60 per cent.
sampsel said she fears there is a cohort of sexual abuse survivors who didn’t get the care they needed during the pandemic because they couldn’t access treatment or were afraid to go to the hospital.
“i don’t think sex assault stopped. i think the prevalence of violence in homes probably went up,” she said. “i think there is probably going to be an immeasurable downstream burden of effects from people who are survivors of violence who didn’t get the care they needed.”
dr. kari sampsel.
dr. kari sampsel. the ottawa hospital
among possible long-term consequences could be depression, anxiety, ptsd and physical injuries that didn’t get addressed, all of which can negatively impact a survivor’s health, education, family life and more.
sampsel said that amounts to a “perfect storm which makes life more difficult.”
the research led by muldoon is believed to be the first looking specifically at the pandemic’s impact on emergency visits for sexual assault.
during the early months of the pandemic, some emergency departments became quiet as people stayed away because they feared becoming infected or believed they could wait for care. health officials have reported seeing later-stage cancers and chronic illnesses that went undiagnosed and treated as a result.
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the researchers noted that visits to emergency departments for sexual assault increased during summer months, periods when covid-19 cases tended to drop and restrictions eased.
researchers, health professionals and those who work with sexual violence survivors say access to urgent health care connects victims to vital supports and that disruptions should be minimized during emergencies.
“access to urgent health care is especially important in some cases. without improved public education and outreach efforts during restrictions or disruptions in hospital services, survivors may face negative outcomes,” said heidi illingworth, executive director of ottawa victim services.
muldoon said it is important to integrate violence prevention with pandemic management as well as during future emergencies.
“crisis situations are associated with the risk of violence.”
part of the messaging should be to encourage people to get the care they need. she said expanding the province’s small network of dedicated sexual assault clinics in hospitals would make a difference.
at ottawa’s sexual assault clinic, there was a 30 per cent drop in emergency visits for sexual assault after the pandemic began, compared to a drop of between 50 and 60 per cent provincewide, suggesting people are more likely to visit a dedicated clinic, even during a pandemic, than an emergency department. there are 37 such clinics across ontario.
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“we are fortunate in ottawa,” said muldoon, who is also concerned about what the drop in people seeking treatment for sexual abuse means for sexual assault investigations in the province.
muldoon said becoming more open about sexual violence is necessary. people who seek help in emergency departments represent a fraction of sexual assaults in the general population.
elizabeth payne
elizabeth payne

elizabeth payne is an award winning health journalist whose stories became must-reads during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

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