You Are Not Alone: Do not suffer in silence from domestic violence

By admin Posted: March 18, 2021

As we move into March of 2021 and our second year of lockdowns/stay-at-home mandates, we wanted to reach out to all those who may be suffering silently from domestic abuse and violence.

What?

1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience intimate partner abuse, be it physical or mental. Studies show that this rate is even higher amongst the LGBTQ community, however, people of all races, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic classes and religions can be victims.

The pandemic has not helped lower that statistic; in fact, it’s raised it. For many victims of abuse, their only means of escape are standard routines like going to work or school or even out to meet a friend. With COVID regulations putting a hard stop to those options and forcing people to stay at home, the cases have drastically risen:

Abusers may further isolate and control their victims
Abusers may share misinformation about the pandemic to control or frighten victims or prevent them from seeking medical/professional help
Programs that serve victims, such as shelters and counseling centers, may be at capacity and unable to assist them. Victims may also be hesitant to even go to a shelter due to COVID-19
Travel restrictions may impact a victim’s escape or safety plan

Not everyone is able or willing to identify signs of abuse. Intimate partner violence can take any of the following forms:

Actual or threats of physical violence
Actual or threats of sexual violence
Emotional or psychological abuse (e.g., name calling or putdowns, threats to “out” a person’s sexual orientation to family, work or friends)
Stalking (e.g., excessive calls/texts/emails, monitoring daily activities, using technology to track a person’s location)
Financial abuse (e.g., withholding money, ruining credit, stopping a partner from getting or keeping a job)

Who?

Intimate partners can include: