Key Findings, Best Practices and Recommendations

This chapter summarises the key findings and insights gained from IMPRODOVA’s research on the repercussions of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the developments of domestic violence (DV) in the eight participating countries of the European Union. The different impacts of COVID-19 are described, the data inconsistencies and the lack of harmonised data collection are discussed, and how this affected the comparative analyses of the findings. The impact of the lockdown on criminal justice, helplines, shelters and the health sector is summarised. Spotlights on policy development and DV media coverage, with a focus on better ways to visualise the realities of DV victims, are revisited. An assessment of challenges and best practices is followed by a list of recommendations for future DV policies and practices in pandemic crisis situations. This concludes the IMPRODOVA European Union research project’s appraisal of the domestic violence-lockdown report.