Evidence on the impacts of covid-19 pandemic on violence against children: Scoping review

ABSTRACT

Objective: to map existing evidence in the literature on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on child violence. Method: scope review carried out according to the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and the international guide PRISMA-ScR in the Databases PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and LILACS in October 2020. Inclusion criteria were studies available in full text, online, in the Portuguese, English or Spanish language, published in 2020 and addressing violence against children in the context of the pandemic. The data were submitted to descriptive analysis. Results: 216 articles were found, of which 26 were kept for review. The results were presented in the form of a table and, for their discussion, were summarized in the following axes Closing schools, increasing risks and reducing reports of violence;Economic changes, parental stress and increased violence against children;Health professionals, protection services and negligence violence against children. Conclusion: the Covid-19 pandemic has had numerous impacts on violence against children. The summary of the findings of this review may contribute to the dissemination of the theme and stimulate actions that favor the identification, notification and monitoring of cases of violence against children as an important part of the responses against the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2021, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. All rights reserved.