Impact of Social, Political, and Environmental Events on Violence Against Women in the Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific region faces frequent and intense social, political, and environmental events (herein described as shocks), including conflicts, health emergencies, economic crises, and disasters, that can increase the risk of violence against women (VAW). Yet the region is underrepresented in global research that examines the impact of these events on VAW. This scoping review identifies and analyses published peer-reviewed literature on the impact of shocks on patterns of VAW in the Indo-Pacific region between 1993 and 2024. Our review includes 203 studies from 5 databases comprising books, research articles, and chapters. Health emergencies, particularly COVID-19, accounted for the largest portion of shocks studied, followed by armed conflict and earthquakes. The findings indicate that social, political, and environmental events consistently heighten all forms of VAW, especially domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual violence. The review found limited research across the region with 7 countries (of 46) informing the majority of studies: These countries were not necessarily those countries most affected by these events however. Based on these main findings, we argue that localized research on the impacts of these events on VAW is urgently needed to inform gender-responsive policies that can enhance preparedness and protection in the most affected communities.