It’s Hard to Flee During a Pandemic
By Kaelyn Forde
UN Secretary General António Guterres recently noted “a horrifying global surge” in domestic violence, with calls for services and help doubling in some countries since the coronavirus pandemic began.
One in three women already experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, and in the U.S., the ubiquity of guns makes the problem even deadlier: Women here are 21 times more likely to be killed with a gun than women in other high-income countries. Some abusers are now capitalizing on the coronavirus to coerce and control their victims, advocates for domestic violence survivors say.
“We have one survivor whose abuser told her because of the pandemic, no police were working, so there was no one she could call,” Joaneileen Coughlan of WomenRising told me. “The survivor went to the police station when she was allowed out to get food.”
WomenRising is a nonprofit based near the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak in Jersey City, New Jersey, where coronavirus cases have surpassed 61,000 and over 2,000 people have died. The full scale of the increase in domestic violence may only become clear when lockdown orders are lifted, and Coughlan expects to hear from more people in need once “victims are able to leave their homes to safely make phone calls and get reconnected with schools, friends and family.”
For people who are isolated with abusers, now, though, it’s good to keep in mind that there are resources. The National Domestic Violence Hotline has tips for staying safe during COVID-19 and receives calls and online chats 24/7. Survivors can also text LOVEIS to 22522 if it is not safe for them to make a call. Local domestic violence organizations, including WomenRising, are providing video and phone counseling as well as safety planning that can help survivors escape abusive situations. Anyone experiencing an emergency should call 911. “If someone is being abused, the police are responding and restraining orders are being issued,” Coughlan says.
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