The conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic were ones that were widely recognized by advocates as likely to increase the risk of violence while at the same time making it more difficult for those experiencing violence to seek help – especially given the pre-existing challenges facing the already overburdened and under-resourced gender-based violence sector. In August 2020, we release the findings from a national survey that provides an account of the challenges facing sexual assault centres, shelters, transition houses and other anti-violence organizations during the pandemic as told from the perspective of those on the frontlines.
