October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Domestic violence on the rise since COVID-19

NEW YORK STATE — Since the outbreak of the coronavirus hit the U.S. — and especially New York State — in March, there have been many troubling statistics. None more so, perhaps, then the fact that the number of cases of domestic violence has steadily risen as businesses and schools shut down, forcing more and more people to stay at home — many with their abusers — unable to report the abuse or escape the violence. This includes women and children, but also men, as there are instances of same-sex domestic violence. According to a Sept. 16 article in The New England Journal of Medicine, “One in 4 women and 1 in 10 men experience intimate partner violence [IPV], and violence can take various forms: it can be physical, emotional, sexual or psychological.”

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, as good a time as any to raise a red flag about the problem as well as to offer some resources to victims looking for local support.

According to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s website, www.governor.ny.gov, COVID-19 has absolutely exacerbated the issue statewide.

“Domestic violence reports overall were up 30% in April compared to last year and incident calls to [the] state have increased 15% in March compared to last year,” stated the website.

Calls increased 18% from February to March 2020, according to the governor’s office. Additionally, the New York State Police reported domestic violence incident calls rose 15% in March compared to 2019. And there was a 12% increase in IPV reported by “large police departments outside of New York City for the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019,” according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Following the spike in domestic violence during the pandemic, Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa and the New York State Council on Women and Girls created a new task force in May to find creative solutions to the crisis. The task force will work to “identify solutions to help domestic violence survivors, with the specific goal of looking beyond the traditional ways that services have been provided in the past,” stated Cuomo’s office.

“Unfortunately, the reality is that we are still seeing an increase in the number of reported cases of domestic violence across New York as this pandemic continues — we need to do more to help women who are stuck in dangerous situations,” said DeRosa.

New Yorkers seeking help can call 1-800-942-6906, text 844-997-2121 or chat with a professional on the confidential website at www.opdv.ny.gov. The text and online services are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by domestic violence experts.

Even locally, leaders are concerned. Pine Plains town supervisor Darrah Cloud addressed the crisis in her Sept. 25 town newsletter.

“The COVID-19 virus has presented new challenges here,” she wrote. “The stress under which people are living has increased exponentially, driven by the fear of getting sick but also by all of the disparate media coverage and the politicalization of the crisis. This has led to an increase in domestic abuse, suicidal threats, incidents driven by mental illness and opioid use, which was actually beginning to dissipate here before the virus struck. I think we are all probably aware of all of this, but it is worth mentioning here because it is important, I also think, for the town to know itself. We are not an Eden to escape to, we are a microcosm of what is happening in the rest of the country. We can study Pine Plains and understand the nation. This is the gift of being small.”

The Grace Smith House, a domestic violence shelter in Poughkeepsie, said it has also noticed the increase in abuse cases in a recent email.

“The past few months have certainly been a trying time for everyone,” it stated. “As incidents of domestic violence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace Smith House has gotten more requests for help — and our doors have remained open to victims, survivors and their families.”

This month, Grace Smith House will have its Clothesline Project on display at various Dutchess County locations. The project is a “powerful visual display of T-shirts decorated by survivors of violence or their loved ones. This national movement seeks to raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence while giving a voice to those affected.” For more, check out social media.

Grace Smith House, Inc., can be reached at 845-452-7155; its 24-hour hotline is 845-471-3033; its website is www.gracesmithhouse.org.

Family Services, also in Poughkeepsie, is hosting its 10th Annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes® event in a number of creative ways to provide the community a way to stand up against domestic abuse, sexual assault and gender violence. The event is more vital than ever, said organizers, as the pandemic has made many survivors more vulnerable, as they are sheltering at home with their abusers and cut off from the support of family and friends. Family Services has been providing support to survivors throughout the pandemic and continues to be a 24-7 resource to the community.  

“As we faced the shut-downs due to COVID-19, our Walk A Mile Committee was determined to find a way to bring people safely together,” said Director of Development at Family Services Whitney Humphrey. “Domestic violence and sexual assault do not stop during a pandemic and neither do we.” 

For details on the walk, which can be done any time between now until Thursday, Oct. 15, choose a walk option at www.familyservicesny.org or email development@familyservicesny.org.