Domestic Abuse Services

OpEd in Greenwich Time

October 18, 2020

COVID-19 and Domestic Abuse

The pattern of power and control that is the hallmark of abusive relationships became more acute and difficult for victims of this insidious problem since last March when COVID-19 forced the quarantining of victims with their abusers. The consequences for victims of domestic violence and their children has been dramatic.

The pandemic forced many victims and/or abusers to work from home or stay home due to job loss, and an escalation of abuse ensued. Stress and anxiety, while not causes of domestic abuse, can exacerbate an already volatile situation. Victims called YWCA Greenwich for help from closets, bathrooms or in the middle of the night. Victims were trapped in their homes with little break from the abuse, disconnected from supports such as family, friends, work colleagues and service providers. In short, our clients were in crisis, and YWCA Greenwich saw a 26% increase in domestic abuse crisis calls to our 24/7 hotline and a 289% increase in crisis intervention services during the shutdown period of March-June versus the prior year.

Victims reported new forms of control from abusers relating to COVID-19, such as threatening to deliberately expose them to the virus; preventing access to medical care; refusing to let them inside the home or insisting they leave the home; and forcing excessive sanitizing like washing her hands until her skin became raw. We know that battering injuries are the number one reason women visit the emergency room, yet our clients are now even less likely to seek medical treatment for physical injuries from abuse, or for other conditions. YWCA Greenwich has been there at the other end of the line, 24/7 to provide safety planning, counseling, and referrals to a variety of other services. Year over year, the total number of hotline and crisis calls to YWCA Greenwich increased from 3,727 to 5,284.

The COVID-19 escalation of domestic violence also caused dramatic impacts on children. With children home all day during the shutdown, and still home more frequently, they witnessed or experienced domestic violence for the first time or more often. Prior to COVID-19, school, extracurricular activities and play dates were a respite from abuse and an important aspect of a victim’s safety planning. Distance learning now gives teachers more access to the dynamics at home, and the Department of Children and Families has reported an increase in reports of family violence from mandated reporters such as teachers. Again, YWCA Greenwich Domestic Abuse Services has been here to provide safe counseling and support to children who have experienced the trauma of domestic violence, as well as take victims and their children into shelter if they decided to flee. The number of shelter bed nights provided by YWCA Greenwich for adults and children increased 281% year over year.

The closure of courthouses last spring created a range of problems and risks for victims of domestic abuse. While the advent of e-filing of temporary restraining orders appeared helpful, serving an abuser with a restraining order while quarantining together with a victim complicated safety planning and privacy for victims and their children. Closure of courts and limited court services resulted in less monitoring of defendants and the suspension of court-ordered batterer intervention programs—both creating more risk for victims. Family court matters are delayed and being handled with new protocols that all parties, including private attorneys, are learning in real time. Clients without legal representation still have less access to supportive services at court for guidance and general assistance. YWCA Greenwich’s Family Violence Victim Advocate, typically located at the Stamford Courthouse, as well as our Civil Legal Clinic, supported victims with legal matters remotely throughout this period and since we reopened for in-person services in July.