Domestic violence reportedly rising
Shelterinplace orders add stress at home, play into abusers’ hands
Domestic violence is believed to be on the rise as shelterinplace orders are keeping nearly everyone home to combat the spread of COVID19, according to Bay Area law enforcement and advocates for survivors and victims.
Feeling stressed and frustrated is to be expected during the pandemic, and prolonged proximity to partners or children at home all day can additionally fray nerves. But experts say the shelterinplace orders have created a dangerous confluence of factors that can provoke perpetrators, increase the level of abuse and violence in the home, and make it harder for victims and survivors to get help.
Kathy Black, executive director of La Casa de las Madres, which runs two shelters and a hotline for abused women and children in San Francisco, said the problem of victims being isolated or cut off from friends, family and the community — a common tactic of abusers — has grown over the course of the shelter in place, which went into effect on March 16 for most of the Bay Area.
“The shelterinplace order plays into a very common battering tactic, which is to isolate victims from family, friends, coworkers, other resources,” Black said. “This is like an ideal situation for abusers, a perfect storm.”
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said the victimservices division in his office saw calls seeking referrals for domestic violence victims soar by 60% in the first week of the city’s stayathome order. The calls dropped
by 30% the next week and rose slightly the third week.
“We’re looking more closely at the numbers,” Boudin said, “but it’s consistent with what we’re hearing from advocates, that victims or survivors are afraid to call. We are convinced actual incidents are on the rise.”
At Berkeley’s Women’s Daytime Dropin Center, domestic violence victims usually gather on weekdays for hot meals, conversation, classes and other support, but the center has been closed during the public health shutdown. That hasn’t stopped the phone from ringing off the hook, though, said Leslie Berkler, the group’s executive director.
“I would say our calls have tripled since shelter in place,” Berkler said. “In the last two weeks, we’ve had at least 15 calls that are new clients reporting domestic violence.”
For now, much of the evidence is anecdotal. While the largest law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area haven’t reported an increase in the number of domestic violence calls, workers at agencies that help domestic violence victims say they’re hearing people say it’s gotten tougher to call, text and leave the house.
On Sunday, the United Nations urged action to prevent domestic violence.
“I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic,” SecretaryGeneral António Guterres said on Twitter.
Abusers have used the coronavirus crisis and stayathome order to frighten their victims into staying put, Black said. Victims are often told they’ll get infected if they go out and threatened about coming back, or they’re told they’ll be arrested for being out in public when they’re supposed to be at home.
“Our message has to be that when you weigh the risk, if you’re in imminent danger of physical harm from your abuser or breaking shelter in place, break shelter in place,” Black said. “Nobody is going to be left out in the street. We will find you a place in a shelter.”
Boudin said the San Francisco district attorney’s office has helped secure 20 furnished apartments for domestic violence victims, including those with children, during the COVID19 crisis. He said his office also is working with Mayor London Breed to obtain access to more temporary housing.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said that reports of domestic violence to the department actually declined from the first two weeks of March to the following two weeks — from 179 to 121 — but he was aware of reports from agencies that incidents of abuse might be up.
“We hear from some of the groups, the advocacy groups, that they had an increase in calls,” Scott said. “We know from the science of human behavior that stress and anxiety as well as frustration can trigger violent behavior.”
The chief said he knows many crimes go unreported, and he urged victims of domestic violence to call the police, adding that each report would be investigated.
Gov. Gavin Newsom touched on domestic violence during his daily briefing Tuesday by advising Californians to be extra mindful of their stress levels as the stayathome order enters its fourth week.
“Staying at home doesn’t mean you’re alone,” Newsom said. “As a state, we’re here to support you.”
Despite the ongoing stayathome order, nearly all shelters and places that help domestic violence victims remain open, though many people who need these resources assume otherwise, Black said.
“We’re here,” she said. “We’re in crisisoperations mode here, but we’re working. Victims or survivors should call us.” San Francisco Chronicle staff
writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.