Crisis Center: Abuse victims lose safety net during lockdown
At the height of the coronavirus crisis in Connecticut, Suzanne Adam noticed a troubling trend emerging in parts of Fairfield County.
From mid- March to June, residents across the state were holed up in their homes thanks to Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency stay- athome order.
Aimed at containing the spread of the virus, the order also unintentionally posed a threat to victims of domestic abuse, according to Adam, the executive director of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center.
“Even under the best of circumstances, all of us have had challenges dealing with the lockdown and we’ve all had to fall back on different types of coping skills. Unfortunately, victims of domestic violence have had safety nets and coping mechanisms taken away from them in this crisis,” Adam said.
The stay- at- home order effectively “trapped” domestic abuse victims in a confined space with their abusers, Adam said. It also left victims cut off from important social safety nets, like friends, teachers, social workers and doctors, who are often the first people to notice the signs of ongoing abuse.
The DVCC, which provides services to domestic abuse victims, estimates that though domestic incidents likely increased during the four- month lockdown, many victims did not come forward with their experiences in that period.
Some police departments also reported a decrease in that time period of domestic- related calls and the courts saw less arraignments related to domestic violence incidents. “People are not reaching out for help. They’re not calling the police, and we need to let them know that they can and should,” Adam said.
While the DVCC saw a 28- percent increase in the use of counseling services and a 92- percent increase in the use of advocacy services by individuals whom DVCC had already been working with, they heard very little from new clients during the lockdown.
Adam said that during that time the DVCC saw no increase in new clients seeking out their services, which she attributed to a decline in both referrals from places like the Department of Children and Families, schools and local police departments and a decline in selfreporting.
Over that same period, certain police departments in the DVCC’s coverage area also noticed a similar decline. In Norwalk, for example, police reported that after a steep increase of domestic- related calls in March, they experienced a 30 percent decrease in April when compared to the same time last year. The downward trend continued in May with a 45 percent reduction in the number of domestic violence cases being reported compared to 2019.
Wilton police also saw a similar dip in domestic violence reporting in April, May and June of this year, when compared to 2019.
Arraignments for domestic violence crimes in the DVCC’s coverage area also fell by more than 50 percent during lockdown.
Between January and March, prior to the statewide lockdown, local courts reported 435 arraignments related to domestic violence incidents. Over the following three months, however, those arraignment numbers dropped to 192.
“That is a clear drop, and it is not consistent with any other prior years,” Adam said.
Lt. Terry Blake, commander of Norwalk Special Victims Unit, said one possible reason for the “staggering” decline in reporting is misinformation being spread about the police and court system’s ability to protect them during the pandemic.
Blake called rumors claiming police were not responding to service calls and that stay- at- home orders trumped protective orders were patently false.
“Police are handling domestic violence the same, the courts are handling domestic violence the same. People involved in domestic violence incidents are still being arrested and arraigned the next day. Protective orders are still being issued to protect victims. Nothing has changed,” Blake said.
Not all police departments experienced drops in domestic violence reporting during the lockdown though.
Stamford police reported a roughly 24 percent increase in domestic violence arrests between March and June. Darien also saw upticks in domestic violence reporting in April and May.
Meanwhile, Westport and New Canaan’s domestic violence reports fluctuated from month to month, though the numbers remained consistent with their 2019 totals.
Westport Lt. Anthony Prezioso, a police spokesperson, said that while the number of incidents is “a good place to start,” they don’t necessarily tell the whole story.
“This is why officers are extensively trained on this subject and, in the course of that training, are instructed to always take time and diligently investigate every aspect of these types of calls. This is in the hopes of gathering the most accurate account of not just the specific incident itself, but also gaining more insight into the greater picture of what may be happening in a household, with the ultimate goal of getting victims the highest levels of assistance and support that can possibly be provided to them always on our minds,” Prezioso said.
Westport police, like their Norwalk, Wilton, Stamford, New Canaan, Darien and Weston counterparts, work closely with the DVCC to provide services to domestic violence victims.
Once a victim is found to be at “high risk” by police, the court systems and DVCC will then routinely follow up with them to ensure they are safe.
Additionally, the DVCC offers around- the- clock crisis intervention and counseling services, two emergency safe houses, legal services, employment and educational opportunities, and financial assistance for victims.
“People need to be able to make informed choices, making decisions based on information and not out of fear,” Adam said.
“For us, it is critical that people should never have to choose between their safety and their health. We want people to know that regardless of if you reach out to police or the DVCC, we will be there for you.”
Those who need to speak to a counselor can contact the DVCC’s 24- hour help hotline at
888– 774– 2900.