The Pandemic’s Hidden Crisis: Domestic Abuse. Are We All Really Safer at Home?

Sep 20, 2020 | Blog

Image Credit: “A woman hangs a poster reading ‘Domestic Violence is a Deadly Virus’ from her balcony.” Source: AP Photo, Politico.com

By Melanie Amaral, JHBL Staff Member

One in every seven children has experienced abuse or neglect, and this is likely an understatement. Child abuse and neglect is a public health crisis that carries lasting health implications into a child victim’s adulthood. Furthermore, one in four women and nearly one in ten men have experienced some form of intimate partner violence, or IPV. IPV includes physical and sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression. Like child abuse and neglect, IPV is a public health crisis that leaves survivors with negative health consequences ranging from chronic conditions affecting the heart and reproductive systems, to mental conditions such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, the current public health crisis formed by the Covid-19 pandemic is making matters worse: quarantine practices and state stay-at-home-orders are directly related to an increase in domestic abuse. We have been told for months that staying home can save lives. Unfortunately for some, this will come at a price, and the United States must do better to recognize this shadowed crisis.

When the Covid-19 pandemic began spreading throughout American states, state governments began implementing stay-at-home orders, which designated which businesses would remain open. These wise policy choices aim to slow the spread of the virus and “flatten the curve.” Unfortunately, there is an association between disasters and violence and studies have shown that interpersonal violence may increase after events that cause human distress, such as natural disasters.  The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, with help from Avenir Health, Johns Hopkins University, and Victoria University predicted in April 2020 that six additional months of lockdown would produce thirty-one million additional gender-based violence. For every three months of lockdown, an additional fifteen million gender-based violence cases will occur. Practically, this makes sense: calling for help, like reaching out to a crisis hotline, is much more difficult when a victim’s abuser is closely watching him or her. Further, with unemployment continuing to skyrocket, victims are unable to save money to obtain financial freedom, which is one way in which a victim can escape his or her abuser.

Children are at risk of abuse within the home as well, and there is a concern for increased vulnerability due to schooling from home. Nearly twenty percent of abuse and maltreatment calls came from education personnel in 2017. As children begin remote learning this fall, they are deprived of a safety check that states have imposed on educational personnel as mandated reporters. Nearly two thirds of all reports of alleged child abuse and neglect were made by professionals, meaning the person who made the report had contact with the child victim as part of his or her job. With kids generally being less exposed to people during the pandemic, this means a lesser chance that an adult will recognize the signs of abuse and neglect, making children more vulnerable to it continuing without help.

It is no surprise that social isolation is used as a way to control a victim. During a pandemic, we are all (or should be) socially isolated to the extent that we are not during normal times. The “new normal” means we are limiting our exposure to many people; we are picking and choosing who we see and with whom we interact, in hopes those people are not carrying the virus. During this time, abusers have the upper hand of an already semi-socially isolated victim.  Isolation involves controlling what a victim does, who she or he sees and talks to, what she or he reads, and limiting where she or he goes. Abusers practically limit a victim’s outside involvement and may use jealousy to justify these actions. When a stay-at-home order already controls where a person may or may not go, this helps an abuser maintain control over a victim in his or her household, and possibly helps the abuser increase his or her confidence to escalate their isolation efforts.

Abusers have used the pandemic in unique and twisted ways to control their victims. They may withhold necessary items such as hand sanitizer and disinfectants or share misinformation about the pandemic to manipulate and frighten their victims. They may also withhold medication to make a victim more susceptible to serious illnesses from Covid-19. Furthermore, programs that help victims may be impacted because capacity may be reached, or intake of survivors may be temporarily halted. Even if these services continue, victims with pre-existing health conditions may be justifiably worried about being in close contact with groups of people. Lastly, physical restrictions impact a victim’s possible plan to escape or reach safety. It may not be safe to use public transportation and it may not be feasible, or even possible, to fly to another destination.

This country is failing its IPV and child abuse victims. The lack of institutional response is simply inadequate. For example, the CDC recommends for those who are experiencing violence during the pandemic to “practice self-care as much as possible.” This is not a response to assist victims: it is a facially supportive suggestion that is insulting to people who need actual help. On the other hand, countries across the globe are recognizing this overlooked effect of the pandemic by attempting to help victims in practical ways. In India, the government has launched a new violence helpline. In the UK, Mandu Reid, a leader of the Women’s Equality Party, has advocated for special police powers to remove perpetrators from homes during the lockdown and waive court fees for those seeking protection orders. In Germany, Katrin Goring-Eckardt, the Green Party’s parliamentary leader, has advocated transforming hotels into safe shelters for women living with violent partners.  The European Parliament issued a press release stating they “won’t leave Europe’s women alone” and asked members to increase support to victims during the pandemic. Where is this advocacy in the United States? Emergency hotlines are insufficient; victims face the risk of being overheard by their abusers.

Many of us are realizing this pandemic is staying for a while. We are living in the “new normal.” As the CDC suggests guidelines and encourages employers to continue implementing work from home practices, many will be forced to stay in close physical proximity to their abuser. Abusers will use this already frightening, stressful pandemic to gain more control of their victims. Though we must stay vigilant to stop the spread of Covid-19, we must realize the victims of this pandemic are not just those who have lost their lives to the virus and those who are mourning those losses… there are victims hidden, in their homes, who are being subjected to abuse they may never recover from them. The government must do more to protect victims during this trying time. Until then, we must love our neighbors and open our hearts and eyes to those who may need help.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit www.thehotline.org.  

Donate today to ensure victims and survivors are being heard and helped: www.thehotline.org/donate/.

Melanie Amaral is a second-year law student at Suffolk University Law School. She has interned as a Case Specialist at the Framingham/Natick District Courthouse and as a Judicial Intern at the Metro South Housing Court. Melanie would like to dedicate this blog post to domestic abuse survivors, especially those who may never share their story.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are the views of the author alone and do not represent the views of JHBL or Suffolk University Law School.

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