Samenvatting

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in March 2020, there have been concerns worldwide about an increase in domestic violence and child abuse as a result of the measures taken to combat the pandemic. This article is based on a systematic study of the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the magnitude, nature and severity of domestic violence. A brief overview of the literature is presented as a basis for the assumptions made about a possible increase in domestic violence. The design of the study is discussed as well as the first descriptive results and trends. The authors come to the preliminary conclusion that there is no deviating trend compared to domestic violence reports in 2019, the year prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. The future direction of the research project is also discussed.