Violence in a pandemic

Americans are paying dearly as they suffer through the coronavirus epidemic. The costs of inadequate testing, poor medical care and even death in isolation are only compounded by the nation’s staggering economy, mounting unemployment rate and uncertainty of recovery. Making matters worse, there has been an increase in domestic violence.

“My husband won’t let me leave the house,” a victim of domestic violence told a representative for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH). “He’s had flu-like symptoms and blames keeping me here on not wanting to infect others or bringing something like Covid-19 home. But I feel like it’s just an attempt to isolate me.” The NDVH representative notes that “a growing number of callers say that their abusers are using COVID-19 as a means of further isolating them from their friends and family. “

“I spoke to the [NY] state police this morning and there is a reported uptick in domestic violence cases,” Melissa DeRosa, Gov Andrew Cuomo’s top aide stated at a recent press briefing. “Some reports are as high as 15 to 20 percent. It’s unacceptable on any day. I want people to know that every single case that is reported, the state police is going to investigate fully.”

This assessment was confirmed by Cecile Noel, commissioner of New York City’s Office to End Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV). “Covid-19 puts into sharp focus the vulnerabilities that many people in our city face every day, especially gender-based violence survivors,” she said. And added, “it highlights the barriers and challenges that we know keep people from seeking help and finding safety.”

The same story is playing out in San Francisco. Shortly after shelter-in-place was implemented, the SF district attorney’s office reported an initial 60 percent increase in referrals to its Victim Services Division, compared to the same week last year. Mayor London Nicole Breed and DA Chesa Boudin announced that the city has secured 20 furnished apartments for survivors of domestic violence.

Kathy Black, executive director, La Casa De Las Madres, pointed out that “one of the most common battering tactics is to isolate somebody from their support network – friends, family, coworkers, agencies where they may go to get assistance or support.” Going further, she noted, “So being locked in with your abuser is, as I have called it, kind of a perfect storm.”

Domestic abuse – or intimate partner violence – is an endemic feature of American social life, one example of the all-pervasive sexual or gender violence.

Excerpted from: 'Coronavirus and the Increase in Domestic Violence'.

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