For many, home is not a safe place. It is where their abuser resides and is the place where abuse happens. As COVID-19 has many of us restricted to our homes, women who are victims of domestic abuse are more vulnerable than ever.[1] The temporary reprieves these women normally have like going to work, Bible study, or errands are no more. All the while, the rising stresses of living in a COVID-19 world increase tensions in the home. And, as many who work with abuse victims feared, there has been a global rise in calls to domestic abuse hotlines.[2]
Yet, while the risks of abuse have increased, the help available to victims has decreased. The systems that would typically be in place to help are not as easy to access now and shelters are filled or not taking new residents.
These women are also finding themselves isolated from their usual support systems. Friends and family might fear exposure to the coronavirus, so a mother who might typically take refuge with her children at someone else’s home is at a loss. And many women cannot talk freely on the phone or text from their homes because they might be monitored by
To continue...read the full-length post originally published on this site.
