With stay at home mandates being enforced globally, a lot more than just boredom and stir-craziness is going on in some homes. Another Coronavirus crisis is dangerously spreading within doors: domestic abuse. Now that we are literally being forced inside, victims are finding themselves stuck with their abusers 24/7 and hotlines are blowing up like never before. Domestic abuse experts expected these lockdowns to exacerbate abuse, but with the surge in cries for help and lack of support and relief for these victims, it is evident that governments were not ready for this.
Violence at home is only becoming more frequent, more severe and more dangerous. Victims who used to utilize school or work as an escape from the daily abuse can no longer do so due to governmental restrictions aimed at the prevention of the spread of the Coronavirus. This effect of quarantine was expected, with studies on domestic violence proving that it only gets worse whenever families spend more time together, such as during Christmas and summer holidays. Now that families are spending every single minute of the day together in reduced space, domestic abuse is flourishing under these conditions. It’s happening globally: Asia, Europe, The United States… hotlines are surging everywhere with demands for help.
In Spain, the emergency number for domestic violence received 18 percent more calls in the first two weeks of lockdown than in the same period a month earlier. The French police also reported a spike of about 30 percent in nationwide domestic violence. The United Nations stated there has been a “horrifying” rise in domestic violence amid the lockdown. Governments and organizations are stating these facts about this rise in domestic terror but failing to expand on the options for relief and protection for the victims. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged governments to include the protection of women in their response to the deadly novel Coronavirus pandemic.
For thousands of people, the threat looms largest where they should be the safest: in their own homes. The immense physiological and physical effects of domestic abuse are detrimental and with the recent calls for global confinement, life has become a living nightmare for some. With the frustrations and concerns of the Coronavirus such as the loss of a job or financial setbacks, these already unstable perpetrators will already be on edge, leaving no doubt that they will take out their anger on their partners. Due to the lockdown, victims really have nowhere to go. They can’t take refuge with relatives, go to a hotel, flee the area, they have no option but to take the abuse day after day. Crises can often further limit people’s ability to get away from abuse, placing victims in a dead-end situation without appropriate access to services, such as a safe shelter away from abusers and accountability for abuse. Supporting victims of domestic abuse needs to become a priority, as it may only get worse as we delve further into this quarantine.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by abuse and needs support, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-8233.
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