The stress of a pandemic should be bad enough for everyone. But for families across the US it's just a factor. Now that we're locked at home, some of us are in one place with the oppressor.
Weather you look at New York, London or Bishkek (the capital of Kyrgyzstan), stats suggest it's the same scenario everywhere. As families are forced to stay at home as much as possible, for many it means staying under one roof with the person they fear the most.
In New York, the domestic violence resource website, NYC Hope, has seen a surge in online visits during the coronavirus pandemic. In the UK, the leading domestic abuse charity organisation Refuge has seen a 150% increase in online hits. And just google stats for Germany, Russia, Poland – it's all the same. While the numbers differ regionally, it's a global problem that cannot be denied.
“People who are abusive to their partners and to their children use all the tools available to them, and so this is a circumstance in which unfortunately it just creates more opportunities for them to terrorize their family,” explained Francine Garland Stark with The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence.
Many state and local authorities are putting together a strategy to improve domestic violence response as increase in 911 calls is seen nearly everywhere. Nationally, the American Psychological Association reports that the pandemic is creating “unprecedented stress”. It means far more stress for both the victims and abusers and when abusers are more stressed, they take it out on their families.
