How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Affected Rates of Domestic Violence
by Leina Gabra
Although staying at home is essential to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, this ‘new normal’ also comes with its own dangers for those facing domestic violence.
The pandemic and the accompanying lockdown has made it difficult for survivors of domestic violence to find time and space away from their abusers. It has also significantly slowed court proceedings across the country, extending the amount of time that survivors may be vulnerable to their abusers while waiting for orders of protection.
According to the New York Times, domestic violence hotline centers saw a spike in calls when lockdown measures first went into place before tapering off as time went on. At face value, this is a positive fact. But, law officials and social workers in New York City explain that the drop in reporting is offset by a rise in calls placed to shelters for women suffering from intimate partner violence.
Even without a global pandemic affecting every facet of human life, survivors of domestic violence face several obstacles in distancing themselves from their abusers, ranging from financial dependency, emotional manipulation, and legal procedures.
For some, even going to a hospital after sustaining injuries can be a tough decision when considering that the average cost of going to the emergency room without health insurance can range anywhere from $250 to $3,000.
So when considering some of the consequences of the pandemic – stay-at-home orders, hospitals across the United States overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, skyrocketing unemployment rates – it is clear how these conditions can exacerbate the existing obstacles that survivors of domestic abuse may face.
Coronavirus has caused the nation to question the efficacy of many of our core institutions. Survivors’ hindered access to emergency healthcare, legal protection, and avenues of emotional and mental support speak to larger cracks in our systems that need addressing.
While this reality can feel overwhelming, there are individuals and organizations that are actively working to revolutionize how our systems address issues like domestic abuse and give individuals more agency.
One example of this is Leda Health, a female-founded organization that aims to “transform existing systems of sexual assault prevention, care, and justice”. Leda Health acknowledges that these existing institutions do not do enough to support survivors and give them control in the process of seeking justice.
One of the ways that they plan to do this is through the development of at-home sexual assault examination and evaluation kits that will allow survivors to endure this process on their own terms.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 40 to 45 percent of women who are in physically abusive relationships will also be sexually assaulted during their relationship.
Hopefully, by now most people also know that people are more likely to be sexually assaulted by people they know than strangers in alleyways. For these reasons, sexual assault and domestic violence are inextricably tied together and can both be intensified by the conditions of COVID-19.
One of the reasons sexual assault and domestic abuse persist is because they stay behind closed doors. Coronavirus has closed everyone’s doors; now more than ever, survivors need advocates for change in the systems that are supposed to help them.
