At first glance, it was not surprising when, in early April, the United Nations declared the urgent need for action in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. A host of global authorities had issued dire warnings in regard to public health and unemployment. But the U.N’s declaration focused instead on an underreported but equally alarming concern as the pandemic continued to spread.

As countries across the globe went into quarantine in mid-March, a shocking increase in the number of domestic abuse cases took place.

The influx of calls to hotlines was seen only ten days after stay-at-home orders were put into place.  During the first week of quarantine, Spain received 18% more calls. France received even more calls, with a 30% percent spike.

In the U.S., the National Domestic Abuse Hotline reported 951 callers, merely between March 10 and March 24, who specifically mentioned quarantine as a factor in the abuse

On April 5, Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted that she “urges all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic”.

Typically, a spike in domestic abuse occurs during vacations and holidays, when couples are together at home for an extended time.  Thus, the prolonged coronavirus quarantine is a hotbed of risk for women with abusive partners.

“We are hearing from survivors how Covid-19 is already being used by their abusive partners to further control and abuse,” Crystal Justice, chief development officer at NDVH, said, “and how Covid-19 is already impacting their ability to access support and services like accessing shelter, counseling, different things that they would typically lean on in their communities.”

Additionally, studies have shown that, as unemployment rises, domestic abuse cases rise accordingly.

Complicating matters is that the current stay-at-home orders are uncharted territory for abuse counselors. 

“We want people to socially distance themselves as much as possible, but that really has impacts for people,” Kimberlina Kavern, a director at Safe Horizon, said. “A domestic violence victim is likely not able to pick up the phone and call somebody for help because their abusive partner is in the home or in the room with them.”

The importance of the topic is not lost on NASH students.

“I understand that there are many issues occurring right now, but I think that it is important that the safety of everyone is ensured during this time,” junior Karl Fuchs said.

Emma Kim agreed.

“I do not think the issue has been hidden, but it definitely has gone entirely unnoticed,” Kim said. “Quarantining is making the situation worse, but domestic abuse has always been an overlooked issue.”

An additional effect that Covid-19 has had on women is access to sexual healthcare. The International Planned Parenthood Foundation has said that 1 in 5 clinics around the world has closed due to the pandemic. 5,000 clinics across 64 countries have closed down completely for the time being.

Junior Madison Pittman believes that such services are essential.

“If such services were not considered essential, then the lives of women in need will become much harder,” she said.

Additionally, testing for HIV has decreased, along with investigations on gender-based violence, and contraceptives are beginning to run low.

The good news, however, is that governments are beginning to take measures to ensure the safety of domestic abuse victims.

The U.S. federal government allotted $45 million for family violence shelters and $2 million for the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the $2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package.

In regard to how the government can do more to ensure the safety of women, NASH junior Julia Wonsettler said, “I think it’s hard for the government to completely protect women who face domestic abuse during this pandemic, but as a start, it could provide support groups and put more effort into investigating the reported cases of abuse.”

Technology has provided additional resources as well. Safe Horizons has a chat service available on their website, in order for victims to quietly report their situations without others listening in or discovering it in their browser history.

Some shelters have remained open to grant asylum to victims, and they follow social distancing guidelines and allow for self-isolation on the premises in the event that a victim is showing symptoms of Covid-19. 

Safety is paramount during a pandemic quarantine.  But for women in dangerous relationships, the concerns are all the more serious.