The Issue
Stay Home.
Stay Safe.
But What if Home isn't Safe?
25% Spike
The world has seen a 25% spike in domestic violence calls since the COVID-19 Stay at Home order was given. This number is likely to reflect only the severe cases.
Source: Multiple
Need better technology
Calls for help are short and frantic and domestic abuse organizations are looking for better and cost efficient ways to use technology and translational services.
Quotes from research done by Adiel Kaplan NBC News
50% Unreported
Nearly 50% of domestic violence cases go unreported every year due to the fear of getting caught and social / language barriers.
Source: The Marshall Project and US Dept. of Justice
The spike might be temporary, but these problems will remain long after Covid-19 is gone.
Documenting Incidents
Most victims don't report incidents due to the fear of retribution.
This is especially true when tangible proof is needed for these traumatic events.
However, it is known that the trauma from domestic violence events causes victims to have dissociative/selective amnesia, which can discredit their experience and can lead to dismissal of the event by authorities and others.
According to the NCADV, Abusers repeatedly go to extremes to prevent the victim from leaving.
In fact, leaving an abuser is the most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence.
A study by the Department of Justice found in interviews with men who have killed their wives that either threats of separation by their partner or actual separations were most often the precipitating events that lead to the murder.
The fear of severe consequences and no means to safely communicate can lead to victims feeling trapped and unable to do anything.
Communicating Safely
Better use of technology
Domestic abuse organizations are looking for better ways to engage using technology.
Our research indicates that organizations use technology to collect data and daily activities and that technology doesn't focus on how survivors request and receive services.
In addition, there is a lot of technology available for organizations to use, but many organizations aren’t familiar with these and are unsure of how to best use these or can't afford the technology.