February 25, 2021
USA Today
By Grace Hauck
February 26, 2021
Nearly a year since the first coronavirus stay-at-home orders went into effect in the U.S., advocates are warning that survivors continue to be at high risk of domestic violence. With schools closed and many people laid off or working remotely, survivors may be in closer proximity to their abusers with fewer ways to access support services, less financial independence and greater fears about the safety of seeking services amid COVID-19.
“It’s been a real challenge for advocates and survivors,” said Ruth Glenn, president of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “Not only have they had barriers they’ve had to navigate to seek safety when they’re ready, but they now have an added barrier of a pandemic. It becomes a tool for the person that’s causing harm – another tool to further control and exert power.”
Domestic violence incidents in the U.S. have increased by 8.1% since the beginning of the pandemic, according to estimates released Wednesday by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, which drew on data from logs of police calls, crime reports, emergency hotline registries, health records and more.
But calls to hotlines have surged in different parts of the country at different times over the past year. New York saw a surge in reports last spring and launched a task force to identify ways to provide resources to survivors amid COVID-19. In Michigan, calls to the hotline run by the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence reached all-time highs last month.
“We got as many calls in January as we had gotten in the entirety of October through December, and that’s when we got almost as many calls as the previous year,” said executive director Sarah Prout Rennie. “After a year, people are finding their choice between a rock and a hard place … completely untenable.”
‘I matter, and my dogs matter’
For Manos, the abuse began quickly. In April, as the U.S. was beginning to learn more about the novel coronavirus and institute stay-at-home orders, Manos wasn’t seeing her parents because they didn’t want to risk contracting or transmitting COVID-19, she said.
That’s when Manos connected with the man on Bumble. According to the lawsuit, he quickly pressured Manos into meeting in person and becoming his girlfriend. Early on, the man allegedly told Manos he had “disappeared” his ex-girlfriend’s family and warned Manos not to cross him, according to the lawsuit.
…
There are many signs of domestic abuse, and they look different for each situation, said Glenn, of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Domestic violence resources
If you are a victim of domestic violence, The National Domestic Violence Hotline allows you to speak confidentially with trained advocates online or by the phone, which they recommend for those who think their online activity is being monitored by their abuser (800-799-7233). They can help survivors develop a plan to achieve safety.
Safe Horizon’s hotline offers crisis counseling, safety planning, and assistance finding shelters 1-800-621-HOPE (4673). It also has a chat feature where you can reach out for help from a computer or phone confidentially.
Survivors can call the New York City Anti-Violence Project’s 24/7 English/Spanish hotline at 212-714-1141 and get support. If calling is not safe but email is possible, make a report at avp.org/get-help and leave safe contact information, and someone will reach out.
Find a list of pet-friendly shelters at Sheltering Animals & Families Together, Safe Place For Pets, DomesticShelters.org and the Animal Welfare Institute.