NTF Applauds Actions of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) applauds the actions of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for calling out disrespectful and unprofessional behavior by Representative Ted Yoho,  that was laced with misogyny and disgraced the dignity of our national governing body. We know that  this kind of behavior perpetuates silence, isolation and erasure.  Representative Yoho’ comments were an attempt to dehumanize the Congresswoman. It was also an attempt to make this type of verbal abuse spewed against women, and in particular against women of color, more palatable. We commend Representative Ocasio-Cortez and her willingness to speak up and call out this type of abuse and her consistent effort to  stop this kind of abusive behavior from happening to others.

Representative Ocasio-Cortez criticized the follow-up statement subsequently offered by Representative. Yoho for his refusal to take full responsibility,  in particular citing how his statement had used "women, wives, and daughters as shields and excuses for poor behavior." There is no excuse for disrespectful behavior.

The NTF, which was formally established in 2010, is a coalition of national and local organizations collaborating to promote public policy that addresses the needs of all survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. We stand with and for survivors who have had to overcome disrespectful behavior as well. We  seek to ensure that survivors  have the resources they need to heal and to support advocates and community members in working to change social norms that allow such abuse to continue.

Action Alert: DON’T LET CONGRESS IGNORE SURVIVORS!

As the House, Senate, and White House prepare to negotiate the next and likely final COVID-19 supplemental funding package, we have an important message for them - they cannot ignore the needs of survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence!

Congress has provided trillions of dollars in supplemental funding to respond to the COVID-19 emergency, but they have provided NOTHING for survivors of sexual assault, for community-based culturally-specific organizations serving survivors in Communities of Color who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, or for tribal victim service programs. They have provided some, but insufficient, funding for mainstream domestic violence organizations. This is despite knowing that COVID-19 has caused an increase in interpersonal violence!

Survivors, and the advocates that serve them, NEED YOUR HELP! We can’t let Congress fail survivors a 4th time. It’s time to flood Congress with phone calls, fill Members of Congress’s email inboxes, and blanket local newspapers with op-eds and letters to the editor. Social media posts are also useful, but since everyone else is also Tweeting, it is hard to break through, so please both tweet AND pick up the phone.

A toolkit with call scripts, op-ed and letter to the editor templates, sample emails, survivor and advocate stories, and social media content HERE.

Contact your Members of Congress - more than once, if you can! You can find your Senators’ contact information HERE and your Representative’s contact information HERE. Try calling district offices as well as DC offices.

Tell your Members of Congress that the next supplemental funding package MUST:

• Prevent drastic cuts to victim services funding that would compromise programs’ ability to meet the increased need caused by COVID-19 by increasing deposits into the Crime Victims Fund and by temporarily waiving match requirements for Victims of Crime Act victim assistance grants.

• Provide dedicated funding for culturally-specific organizations that provide domestic violence and sexual assault services through both the Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services in the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families and the Office on Violence Against Women;

• Address the needs of survivors by funding sexual assault services;

• Fund Tribal governments to provide domestic violence and sexual assault services;

• Provide more funding for domestic and sexual violence programs through a VAWA formula grant directly to victim service programs;

• Ensure that access to safety for immigrant survivors is not compromised by ensuring access to health and economic supports, as well as by restricting immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like courts and hospitals and by prohibiting the detention or deportation of survivors with pending immigration applications; and

• Allow states to make survivors eligible for unemployment insurance if they leave their jobs due to domestic or sexual violence.

Thank you for your advocacy - it makes all the difference!

For more information, please contact Rachel Graber (rgraber@ncadv.org), Dorian Karp (dkarp@jwi.org), and Monica McLaughlin (mmclaughlin@nnedv.org).

Action Alert: DON’T LET CONGRESS IGNORE SURVIVORS!

As the House, Senate, and White House prepare to negotiate the next and likely final COVID-19 supplemental funding package, we have an important message for them - they cannot ignore the needs of survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence! 

Congress has provided trillions of dollars in supplemental funding to respond to the COVID-19 emergency, but they have provided NOTHING for survivors of sexual assault, for community-based culturally-specific organizations serving survivors in Communities of Color who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, or for tribal victim service programs. They have provided some, but insufficient, funding for mainstream domestic violence organizations. This is despite knowing that COVID-19 has caused an increase in interpersonal violence!

Survivors, and the advocates that serve them, NEED YOUR HELP! We can’t let Congress fail survivors a 4th time. It’s time to flood Congress with phone calls, fill Members of Congress’s email inboxes, and blanket local newspapers with op-eds and letters to the editor. Social media posts are also useful, but since everyone else is also Tweeting, it is hard to break through, so please both tweet AND pick up the phone. 

A toolkit with call scripts, op-ed and letter to the editor templates, sample emails, survivor and advocate stories, and social media content HERE.

Contact your Members of Congress - more than once, if you can! You can find your Senators’ contact information HERE and your Representative’s contact information HERE. Try calling district offices as well as DC offices. 

Tell your Members of Congress that the next supplemental funding package MUST:

• Prevent drastic cuts to victim services funding that would compromise programs’ ability to meet the increased need caused by COVID-19 by increasing deposits into the Crime Victims Fund and by temporarily waiving match requirements for Victims of Crime Act victim assistance grants.

• Provide dedicated funding for culturally-specific organizations that provide domestic violence and sexual assault services through both the Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services in the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families and the Office on Violence Against Women;

• Address the needs of survivors by funding sexual assault services;

• Fund Tribal governments to provide domestic violence and sexual assault services;

• Provide more funding for domestic and sexual violence programs through a VAWA formula grant directly to victim service programs;

• Ensure that access to safety for immigrant survivors is not compromised by ensuring access to health and economic supports, as well as by restricting immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like courts and hospitals and by prohibiting the detention or deportation of survivors with pending immigration applications; and

• Allow states to make survivors eligible for unemployment insurance if they leave their jobs due to domestic or sexual violence.

  Thank you for your advocacy - it makes all the difference!

  For more information, please contact Rachel Graber (rgraber@ncadv.org), Dorian Karp (dkarp@jwi.org), and Monica McLaughlin (mmclaughlin@nnedv.org). 

Statement on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Rollback on Equal Access Rule Protections

We, the National Taskforce to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, condemn the proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that seeks to roll back non-discrimination protections provided in the current Equal Access Rule. The domestic violence/sexual assault field supported the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) protections in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2013, and the Equal Access rule, has built all-inclusive services in federally funded housing, shelters and programs. We call on HUD to maintain the current Equal Access Rule, which ensures access to shelter for survivors of all identities, including those who identify as transgender.

NTF, along with hundreds of sexual assault and domestic violence programs, strongly supports full and equal access to housing and shelter for the transgender community and condemns any efforts that undermine inclusivity and safety. As this rollback was being developed, we met with Administration officials to voice support for the Equal Access Rule and all survivors, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The continued false messaging that invokes fear for women’s safety as justification for discrimination against transgender individuals is unacceptable and harmful. We resoundingly reject it.

Transgender people have long been the targets of heinous acts of violence and harassment. Further, as highlighted most recently by the Black Lives Matter movement, Black transgender women are at particular risk of experiencing violence and even murder, revealing the intersection of racism and transphobia. Transgender survivors face incredible barriers to safety, increased discrimination and oppression, and disproportionate rates of homelessness. Additionally, data confirms that transgender individuals are more likely to experience physical and sexual violence than to perpetrate these acts. According to the 2015 Transgender Survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), 54% of transgender respondents experienced some form of domestic violence, and one in ten were violently attacked because of their gender identity. Survivor safety must include transgender survivors.              

Pushing discriminatory practices during the COVID-19 pandemic is especially harmful, as more people than ever are experiencing homelessness and seeking shelter from abuse. These circumstances render victims increasingly vulnerable. We cannot allow practices of inclusivity, developed by the DV/SA field and mandated by VAWA and the Equal Access Rule, to be eroded by discriminatory regulations, nor have violence against women used as a reason for replacing inclusive policies with discriminatory ones.

For more information, please contact Terra Russell-Slavin at tslavin@lalgbtcenter.org or Monica McLaughlin at mmclaughlin@nnedv.org.

For Advocates and Allies

Stand with us in the ongoing fight to end discrimination and violence, especially toward our most at-risk populations.

The proposed rule can be found at this link.  Template comments and social media tools will be made available for advocates and organizations to join us in opposing this change.

Want to know more about creating inclusive and accessible programs? Contact the National LGBTQ Institute on IPV, local LGBT anti-violence programs, your state/territory Domestic Violence or Sexual Assault Coalition, or the Domestic Violence Housing Technical Assistance Consortium. 

ACTION ALERT: Contact your Senators and tell them to pass a COVID-19 response package that supports victims and survivors

Congress must acknowledge that racism is part of all of our institutions, as amply demonstrated by the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities and Communities of Color. While we appreciate that the House’s HEROES Act provides funding for domestic violence programs and ensures the long-term viability of the Crime Victims Fund, it provides NO funding for culturally-specific community-based organizations that provide domestic violence and sexual assault services. This is unacceptable - and the Senate needs to hear from you.

COVID-19 has both increased the incidence of interpersonal violence and the complexity of serving survivors. Victim service providers need additional funding to provide critical services to their communities. While the HEROES Act contains vital funding for domestic violence programs through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, it falls far short of providing adequate funding for sexual assault services. Instead of focusing solely on victim services, it funds law enforcement and prosecutors out of scarce VAWA grants, despite ample funding outside of VAWA for law enforcement. It also fails to provide critical funding for tribal domestic violence and sexual assault programs and important protections for immigrant survivors. The HEROES Act furthermore does not require states to strengthen their unemployment insurance laws by recognizing that leaving a job because of sexual or domestic violence or stalking constitutes, “good cause.” We know survivors need more. 

In late May, the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) sent a letter to Congress, signed by 450 domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, detailing the need for funding and policy changes to protect survivors. On June 8, the NTF sent a supplemental statement to Congress, reminding them of the NTF’s priorities while also acknowledging the positive provisions in the HEROES Act. In the next COVID-19 relief package, the Senate should preserve important provisions that support survivors and, in addition:

• Provide dedicated funding for culturally-specific organizations that provide domestic violence and sexual assault services through both the Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services in the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families and the Office on Violence Against Women;

• Address the needs of survivors by funding sexual assault services;

• Fund Tribal governments to provide domestic violence and sexual assault services;

• Provide more funding for domestic and sexual violence programs through a VAWA formula grant directly to victim service programs;

• Ensure that access to safety for immigrant survivors is not compromised by immigration enforcement, by restricting enforcement activities at sensitive locations like courts and hospitals and by prohibiting the detention or deportation of survivors with pending immigration applications; and

• Allow states to make survivors eligible for unemployment insurance if they leave their jobs due to domestic or sexual violence.

Contact your members of Congress on social media, by phone, or by email through their website. You can find your Senators and their contact information HERE. You can find Members’ social media handles HERE. If you have contacts in Senate offices, email is also an effective way to get in touch with staff who are working remotely.

A toolkit with sample call scripts, emails, Tweets, and Facebook posts can be found HERE.

For more information about reaching out to your Senators and other grassroots actions, please contact Rachel Graber (rgraber@ncadv.org), Dorian Karp (dkarp@jwi.org), and Monica McLaughlin (mmclaughlin@nnedv.org). 

For more information about the needs of culturally specific organizations serving communities of color, please contact Megan Simmons (msimmons@ujimacommunity.org). For more information about the the needs of sexual assault survivors, please contact Terri Poore (terri@endsexualviolence.org).

Statement on Oppression and Anti-Black Racism

The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) shares the grief and rage of all those who are mourning the racist killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Dreasjon Reed and David McAtee and the countless acts of racist violence perpetrated against Black people by individuals and by institutions. As organizations committed to ending sexual and domestic violence, we condemn anti-Black racism and all other forms of racism and oppression such as police violence and murder. We offer our collective support of the uprising to dismantle oppression, and we denounce anti-Black racism. The NTF recognizes the United States was founded on land taken by force through the genocide of Indigenous people and built on the backs of Black people who were enslaved and whose personhood was explicitly denied in our country’s founding documents. Racist violence is part of our heritage and inherent in our institutions.

More than 250 years later, our institutions continue to propagate racist policies. These policies permeate federal, state, and local systems in both the public and private sectors, including law enforcement. Many policies that may appear neutral on their face actually create and maintain inequities in all facets of life, e.g. housing, healthcare, education, and economic opportunity, which constitute multiple intersecting forms of oppression. As is on display nationwide, agents of the state are often also agents of oppression. Private citizens have also been emboldened by the highest levels of leadership in our nation to target Black people, Indigenous people, Latinx people, Asian people, and other people of color.

We support the right and the need of people to protest the weight of this legacy and its modern incarnations, and we reject racist characterizations of people demanding their rights. We acknowledge the trauma inflicted by racism, both individual and systemic, on individuals and communities. As a national anti-violence coalition, we recognize the need to strengthen our commitment to dismantling racist policies and institutions wherever we can. We recognize the need to move the margins to the center. We commit ourselves to interrupting inequitable practices that are rooted in historical injustices and discrimination; eliminating biases and structural barriers to access, opportunities and safety; and to building a movement and a world where all people can thrive and find safety and well-being.

We call on all people in the United States to reject anti-Black racism and oppression. White people in particular have a responsibility to acknowledge the privileges the current system conveys upon them and to disrupt the status quo. This includes people in the domestic and sexual violence movement.

At this time, white people seeking to be anti-racist can reach out to support friends and colleagues of color, highlight the voices of Black advocates and activists; and educate themselves. Talk to friends and family about racism, including implicit bias. Share resources. Engage with elected officials. Call out racism and oppression when you see it. Take action - starting in your own community and in every community in which you participate. Silence is complicity.

For more information, please contact Rachel Graber, NCADV (rgraber@ncadv.org) and Terri Poore, NAESV (terri@endsexualviolence.org).

Add Your Organization to Sign-on Letter

As supplemental Family Violence Prevention and Services Act grants from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act are becoming available to domestic violence programs, it is important to recognize the domestic and sexual violence fields’ successes - both in battling COVID-19 on the frontlines and also in urging Congress to fund critical victim service programs. The House’s Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act contained important provisions to support victim service providers, most notably recognizing domestic and sexual violence advocates as providing essential services and ensuring the longterm viability of the Crime Victims Fund. Both bills also included important provisions that, while not specifically directed toward survivors, nevertheless provide critical supports, including housing, financial, and employment supports. The HEROES Act also includes important provisions to automatically extend immigrants’ statuses and work authorizations, ensure non-citizens who file taxes receive stimulus checks, and expand access for immigrants to free COVID-19 testing and treatment under Medicaid.
While we celebrate our successes, however, we must acknowledge the many shortcomings of both the CARES Act and the House’s HEROES Act. The CARES Act fell short of fully addressing the needs of survivors of sexual assault and the needs of survivors in communities of color and immigrant communities. The HEROES Act similarly lacks necessary funding for culturally-specific services, and the funding included for survivors of sexual assault is wholly insufficient. It did not include funding for Native survivors, nor did it include important language to ensure supplemental Violence Against Women Act funding would go directly and expeditiously to victim service providers. It also excluded language allowing states to provide unemployment insurance to survivors who have to leave their jobs due to sexual or domestic violence. We know survivors need more.

In late April, hundreds of organizations signed a letter to Congress that urged them to address the critical needs of survivors and programs and that articulated measures Congress can take in the phase four supplemental COVID-19 appropriations package to meet these needs. As we turn our attention to the Senate, we are reopening the letter for new signatories. This letter is for ORGANIZATIONS only. Click HERE to sign onto the letter. Organizations that have previously signed onto the letter do not need to sign on again.

If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Graber (rgraber@ncadv), Dorian Karp (dkarp@jwi), and Emily Dahl (edahl@nnedv.org).

We thank you for your continued leadership during COVID-19. 

Action Alert: Tell Congress to address the needs of survivors in the next COVID-19 response package

Right now, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault are at great risk. 

Act now to urge Congress to address the urgent and emerging needs of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and the programs that serve them during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting disruptions. 

The House of Representatives is finalizing its phase four COVID-19 response package. It is critical that this package meets the needs of victims, survivors, and everyday people. We have circulated a letter to Members of Congress, outlining steps they can take to support survivors and advocates -- now we need YOUR help. Your Members of Congress need to hear from you NOW, while negotiations for the phase four package are underway. Your Senators and Representative both need to hear from you, but if you can only contact one person, right now, the priority is the House of Representatives. 

Call your Members of Congress or contact them on social media, and tell them that the phase four package must contain provisions to directly address the needs of survivors and the people who serve them. Tell them that the package must:

● Include $100 million in additional funding for the Sexual Assault Services Program (For more information on the needs of rape crisis centers and sexual assault survivors click here.)

● Include emergency VAWA funding to states for victim services with funding for Tribes and culturally specific-services; 

● Fund the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act; 

● Include funding for grants for outreach to underserved communities;

● Address the housing needs of survivors;

● Meet the economic needs of survivors;

● Address the long term impact on survivors by redirecting funds from deferred and non-prosecution agreements from the General Treasury to the Crime Victims Fund; 

● Temporarily waive match requirements for federal grants; and

● Ensure immigrants have access to health, safety, and stability, including access to testing and treatment, and restricting immigration enforcement. For more information on the needs of immigrant survivors click here. 

You can find your Senators and their contact information HERE and your Representative and their contact information HERE. You can find Members’ social media handles HERE. If you have contacts in Congressional offices, email is also an effective way to get in touch with staff who are working remotely.

Call/email script:

“Hello. My name is [your name], and I am a constituent [calling/emailing] from [your location and, if applicable, your program]. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and Congress must act to support them and address their needs. This includes providing more funding for programs and  ensuring survivors have access to services, housing, and economic stability; waiving grant match requirements; ensuring immigrants have access to health, safety, and stability; and addressing the long term impacts of this crisis on survivors by addressing dwindling deposits into the Crime Victims Fund. We’re counting on you to protect victims and survivors.”

If you are emailing or communicating on social media, please include a link to the letter mentioned above. 

Sample social media posts:

.@Handle, #COVID19 disproportionately harms survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault. Support them by increasing funding, waiving match, supporting ALL communities & addressing VOCA shortfalls! More at https://tinyurl.com/ybkmnots.

.@Handle, support Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault survivors and programs by increasing resources for FVPSA/VAWA/housing, waiving match, fixing the Crime Victims Fund, and supporting ALL communities! #COVID4More at https://tinyurl.com/ybkmnots. 

For more information, please contact Rachel Graber (rgraber@ncadv.org), Dorian Karp (dkarp@jwi.org), and Emily Dahl (edahl@nnedv.org). 

Action Alert: Tell Congress to Address Survivors' Needs in Next COVID-19 Stimulus Package

Right now, survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault are at great risk. 

Act now to urge Congress to address the urgent and emerging needs of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and the programs that serve them during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting disruptions. 

Congress is currently working on a phase four stimulus package. It is critical that this package meets the needs of victims, survivors, and everyday people. We have circulated a letter to Members of Congress, outlining steps they can take to support survivors and advocates -- now we need YOUR help. Your Members of Congress need to hear from you NOW, while negotiations for the phase four package are underway. 

Call your Members of Congress or contact them on social media, and tell them that the phase four stimulus must contain provisions to directly address the needs of survivors and the people who serve them. Tell them that the package must:

• Include $100 million in additional funding for the Sexual Assault Services Program (For more information on the needs of rape crisis centers and sexual assault survivors click here.)

• Include emergency VAWA funding to states for victim services with funding for Tribes and culturally specific-services; 

• Fund the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act; 

• Include funding for grants for outreach to underserved communities;

• Address the housing needs of survivors;

• Meet the economic needs of survivors;

• Address the long term impact on survivors by redirecting funds from deferred and non-prosecution agreements from the General Treasury to the Crime Victims Fund; 

• Temporarily waive match requirements for federal grants; and

• Ensure immigrants have access to health, safety, and stability, including access to testing and treatment, and restricting immigration enforcement. For more information on the needs of immigrant survivors click here. 

You can find your Senators and their contact information HERE and your Representative and their contact information HERE. You can find Members’ social media handles HERE. If you have contacts in Congressional offices, email is also an effective way to get in touch with staff who are working remotely.

Call/email script:

“Hello. My name is [your name], and I am a constituent [calling/emailing] from [your location and, if applicable, your program]. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and Congress must act to support them and address their needs. This includes providing more funding for programs and  ensuring survivors have access to services, housing, and economic stability; waiving grant match requirements; ensuring immigrants have access to health, safety, and stability; and addressing the long term impacts of this crisis on survivors by addressing dwindling deposits into the Crime Victims Fund. We’re counting on you to protect victims and survivors.”

If you are emailing or communicating on social media, please include a link to the letter mentioned above. 

Sample social media posts:

.@Handle, #COVID19 disproportionately harms survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault. Support them by increasing funding, waiving match, supporting ALL communities & addressing VOCA shortfalls! More at s/DV-SA-COVID-19-Phase-4-Sign-On.pdf

.@Handle, support Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault survivors and programs by increasing resources for FVPSA/VAWA/housing, waiving match, fixing the Crime Victims Fund, and supporting ALL communities! #COVID4 More at www.4vawa.org/s/DV-SA-COVID-19-Phase-4-Sign-On.pdf.

For more information, please contact Rachel Graber (rgraber@ncadv.org), Dorian Karp (dkarp@jwi.org), and Emily Dahl (edahl@nnedv.org). 

Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence are at Heightened Risk Now, and Will Remain So Long After the Current Crisis

Click to download this blog post as a fact sheet!

FAST FACTS:
Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence are at Heightened Risk Now, and Will Remain So Long After the Current Crisis[1]

Countries that Faced COVID-19 before the U.S. are Reporting a Surge in Domestic Violence in the Wake of the Virus.

●      The UN Secretary-General on April 5, 2020 called attention to a “horrifying surge in domestic violence” related to responses to the virus and the economic impacts, and noted that in some countries, the number of women calling support services has doubled.

●      Countries reporting spikes include: India (gender-based violence cases doubled in first week of restricted movement); Turkey (killing of women surged after government stay-at-home guidance); South Africa (almost 90,000 reports of gender-based violence in first week of lock-down); Australia (government reported 75% increase in online searches for support on domestic violence); France (police reported domestic violence rose 30%); China (domestic violence NGO in Beijing saw a surge in calls in February); Spain (emergency number for domestic violence received 18% more calls in first two weeks of lockdown); Italy (domestic violence reports rose soon after lockdown in early March); and England (domestic violence reports in some areas were up by 20% one week into lockdown).

Survivor-Serving Programs in States and Cities Across the U.S. Report Increased Demands for Help.

Some examples:

●      A survey by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence that yielded responses from over 600 programs across the country found that 89% need emergency stimulus funding to provide support and emergency assistance to survivors and 40% have experienced an increase in demands since the onset of the public health crisis both in terms of new requests, and in terms of more direct and complicated requests from current clients, including because responding to survivors’ medical and legal needs and become more complex and difficult. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the budgets of many agencies have been hard-hit by cancellations of major annual fundraisers.

●          Minnesota: Statewide crisis hotline reported a 25% increase in calls in the first weekend after a stay-at-home order was put in place.

●          Louisiana: Statewide coalition reported a sharp increase in calls to the hotline and requests for service at most of its domestic violence programs starting the week of March 30, 2020.

●          Washington, DC: The city’s largest domestic violence crisis intervention agency reports that the traffic on its response line has doubled.

●          New York  City: The city’s domestic and sexual violence resource website reported a 250% increase in daily traffic on the website between March 18 and April 5.

Police and 911 Operators Nationwide Also Report an Uptick in Calls for Help.

Mother Jones identified 13 cities and counties that have reported increases in emergency calls to 911 or domestic violence hotlines over the past month. CNN reported that nine metropolitan police departments saw spikes in double-digit percentages of domestic violence cases in March when compared with case numbers from either March 2019 or earlier months of 2020.[2]

….But Calls to Police Always Underestimate Abuse, and Will Especially Undercount Abuse in this Crisis:

In non-crisis times, many survivors never report abuse to law enforcement for a multitude of reasons. Survivors hesitate to call the police on someone they know and love. They may have good reasons not to trust law enforcement or the criminal justice system based on prior negative personal or community experiences. Immigrant survivors may fear deportation consequences for abusers–or themselves–if they seek help from the authorities. A survey by the National Domestic Violence Hotline found that up to 60% of survivors had reasons that kept them from calling the police. One in three victims reported feeling less safe after contacting police. The Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that only half of domestic violence cases were reported to law enforcement, though the true number is likely even lower.

In this current crisis, there are several ways in which measures to combat the pandemic create obstacles to victims accessing help, including:

●      The closure of schools and workplaces leaves some survivors trapped in violent homes with nowhere to retreat and/or no access to the usual networks on which they would rely for support and protection if they did report abuse;

●      Abiding by shelter-in-place guidance means that some survivors cannot make calls to hotlines or to police without being overheard by their abuser;

●      News stories may leave victims with the false impression and fear that police are not responding to calls, courts are closed, and shelters are full or unavailable.

●      Additionally, news stories about the spread of the COVID virus in jails may leave victims fearful that their abuser could contract it, if arrested. [3]

Coercive and Controlling Tactics Routinely Used By Abusers Have Special Force and Terror Now.

The majority of victims of domestic violence are subjected to financial abuse, which is exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic because many victims will lose their jobs or be unable to find work. Perpetrators often act with impunity, increasing their abusive behavior because they think victims cannot leave, or, will have to return to a violent home to avoid homelessness. With minimal access to paid time off or unemployment insurance, many survivors will be dependent on an abusive partner for housing and support.

Immigrant survivors are particularly vulnerable: even in non-crisis times they may lack access to many safety-net benefits due to limited eligibility rules. At this time in particular, early COVID relief bills passed by Congress did not ensure that access to COVID testing and care would be universally covered under Medicaid, nor that direct cash payments would be provided to all taxpayers, regardless of immigration status.

Some other examples of abusers’ tactics manipulating pandemic dynamics and fears include:

●      Preventing survivors from seeking medical care or COVID-19 testing;

●      Preventing survivors from leaving the home by instilling fear of contracting/exposing the household to COVID-19;

●      Threats of deportation to immigrant survivors;

●      Violations, or threats to violate, protective orders and/or custody orders, or to put children at risk of COVID-19 infection while courts are closed or struggling to administer virtual proceedings in certain types of cases;

An Increase in Reports of Domestic Violence Routinely Follows Any Large Scale Disaster

Calls to hotlines and requests for shelter and assistance surge after the disaster recedes and people can safely leave their homes. The World Health Organization cites a consistent rise in interpersonal violence incidents following a natural disaster, and numerous other similar reports about natural or other large-scale disasters underscore this finding.[4]

[1] See Domestic Violence in the Context of COVID-19, Congressional Research Service, April 10, 2020. Additional examples of impacts on survivors and survivor-serving programs can be found in these articles: Amanda Taub, A new Covid-19 crisis: Domestic abuse rises worldwide, New York Times, April 6, 2020; Marissa J. Lang, Sheltering in peril, Washington Post, April 5, 2020; Casey Tolan, Some cities see jumps in domestic violence during the pandemic, CNN, April 4, 2020; Sarah Fielding, In quarantine with an abuser: surge in domestic violence reports linked to coronavirus, The Guardian, April 3, 2020; Anahita Mukherji, South Asian Domestic Violence Survivors in Silicon Valley Grapple With COVID-19 Lockdown, The Wire, April 3, 2020; Ina Fried, Increase in domestic violence feared during virus lockdown, Axios, April 2, 2020; Sara Dorn, Domestic violence victims facing higher risks amid coronavirus quarantine, New York Post, March 28, 2020; Marissa J. Lang, Domestic violence will increase during coronavirus quarantines and stay-at-home orders, experts warn, Washington Post, March 27, 2020; N. Jamiyla Chisholm, COVID-19 Creates Added Danger for Women in Homes With Domestic Violence, Colorlines, March 27, 2020; Scottie Andrew, Domestic violence victims, stuck at home, are at risk during coronavirus pandemic, CNN, March 27, 2020; Alisha Haridasani Gupta and Aviva Stahl, For Abused Women, a Pandemic Lockdown Holds Dangers of Its Own, The New York Times, March 27, 2020; Tanya Selvaratnam, Where Can Domestic Violence Victims Turn During Covid-19?, The New York Times, March 23, 2020; Daniella Silva, Coronavirus isolation raises concerns for domestic violence survivors, experts say, ABC News, March 20, 2020; Mélissa Godin, As Cities around the World Go on Lockdown, Victims of Domestic Violence Look for a Way Out, Time Magazine, March 18, 2020.

[2] Examples include: Seattle, WA noted a 21% increase in domestic violence reports to police as local stay-at-home orders and the COVID-19 impact intensified; San Antonio, TX police reported a 21% increase in family violence calls, with 500 additional calls during the first three weeks in March when compared to the same timeframe in 2019; Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC reported a 16% increase in domestic violence calls, nearly 400 more calls,when compared to 2019; Nassau County, NY reported a 10% increase in domestic violence 911 calls since January 2020 when compared to 2019, leading to an announcement that it was opening a second domestic violence shelter; Portland, OR reported a 27% increase in domestic violence arrests during a 10-day period in mid-March when compared to the same timeframe in 2019. See also Rachel Bucchino, Domestic violence cases surge amid stay-at-home orders, The Hill, April 13, 2020.

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/01/rikers-island-jail-coronavirus-public-health-disaster

[4] Other documentation of the rise in requests for assistance in the aftermath of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, oil spills and blizzards, include: Andrea Gonzalez-Ramirez, After Hurricane Maria a hidden crisis of violence against women in Puerto Rico, Refinery29, September 19, 2019; Maya Salam, Amid hurricane chaos, domestic abuse victims risk being overlooked, The New York Times, September 17, 2017; Sarah Friedman, Natural disasters and domestic violence may have an alarming connection, Bustle, August 29, 2017; Louisiana Coaltion Against Domestic Violence, Louisiana Domestic Violence Programs Mark Grim Anniversary - BP Oil Spill One Year Later, April 13, 2011; Rosaline Houghton et al., “If There Was a Dire Emergency, We Never Would Have Been Able to Get in There”: Domestic Violence Reporting and Disasters, International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, August 2010; Avis Jones-DeWeever, Women in the Wake of the Storm: Examining the Post-Katrina Realities of the Women of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2008; Helga West, Victims of Violence in Times of Emergency or Disaster, July 2006; Lin Chew and Kavita Ramdas, Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women, The Global Fund for Women, December 2005.