In quarantine with an abuser: surge in domestic violence reports linked to coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/03/coronavirus-quarantine-abuse-domestic-violence

Sarah Fielding
Fri 3 Apr 2020 06.00 EDT
Last modified on Fri 3 Apr 2020 15.05 EDT

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With more than three-quarters of the US population told to stay home to stem the pandemic’s spread, nowhere is safe for victims of intimate partner violence. A self-quarantine puts them in perpetual proximity to their abuser. Leaving exposes them not just to a deadly virus but a world that has largely closed its doors.

Activists worldwide have reported an alarming rise in domestic violence cases since the start of coronavirus-related quarantines. In Wuhan in February, while the province was under strict lockdown, one police station, reported a threefold increase in complaints compared with the same period last year. Advocates are concerned that this bleak reality has reached the United States, where experts say one in four women and one in seven men face physical violence by a partner at some point in their lifetimes.

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“We are hearing from survivors how Covid-19 is already being used by their abusive partners to further control and abuse, how Covid-19 is already impacting their ability to access support and services like accessing shelter, counseling, different things that they would typically lean on in their communities,” says Crystal Justice, the chief marketing and development officer at NDVH.

“We want people to socially distance themselves as much as possible, but that really has impacts for people,” says Kimberlina Kavern, senior director of the crime victim assistance program at Safe Horizon, a New York-based victim assistance organization. “A domestic violence victim is likely not able to pick up the phone and call somebody for help because their abusive partner is in the home or in the room with them.”

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Kavern explains that financial concerns as the economy falters and unemployment numbers spike can also increase incidents of domestic violence. Studies show that as unemployment rises, so do levels of domestic violence. Financial uncertainty might stop women from leaving even outside times of economic crisis. Women hold two-thirds of America’s low-wage jobs, and many have now been cut.

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With much of the country shut down, advocates are also concerned that victims may assume there’s nowhere to go for help. That’s not the case, says Pearlstein, emphasizing that hotlines are still open, legal aid remains accessible, and Philadelphia courts have set up remote access to file for protection orders against abusers by phone or email. NDVH operates one of the country’s largest databases of resources and service providers and is working to track who is still operational so that women throughout the country can find where to go for help.

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Advocates at the National Domestic Violence Hotline are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in more than 200 languages. Survivors can also chat with advocates here.