Why California’s decreasing rate of domestic violence calls is concerning.
by Malini Nair
As California counties started enforcing stay at home orders Police and domestic violence hotlines started preparing for an increase in calls. However, they saw a very different set of results than expected.
In February, the UN reported that China saw a 300% increase in domestic violence-related calls and expected other countries to see similar effects as they started going into quarantine.
California was expected to see a major increase in IPVs (Intimate Partner Violences) considering that its Domestic abuse rate is higher than the national average. However, instead, California has seen an 18% decrease in calls compared to previous years.
Shouldn't a decrease in calls mean a decrease in victims? No, in fact, it could mean quite the opposite. Harvard attorney specialized in sexual assault and gender discrimination, Maclen Stanley believes that COVID 19 adds new instigators for abusers. Social isolation can create the normalization of violence in many households. Not to mention the stress of the impending recession and/or job loss can factor into an increase of IPVs.
It is also historically proven that violent cases have a positive correlation to natural disasters. For example, in 2018, Harris County, an area severely affected by Hurricane Harvey, saw a sudden spike in strangulation filings.
In 2010, after the BP oil spill, Louisiana domestic violence hotlines saw an 81% increase in calls.
So why is California seeing such a tremendous decrease in domestic abuse calls? A possible explanation is the severeness of California's lockdown. During the lockdown, many domestic abuse victims were unable to avoid their abusers. One victim reported that she was unable to call for help until her boyfriend beat her up so bad he left the scene.
Another possible explanation is that victims are too scared to ask for help due to concerns about the virus. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reported that an "abuser was using COVID-19 as a scare tactic so that they [the victim] would not visit family".
Many officials also believe that California's easy access to modern technology could be at fault.
Rebecca Levenson, a police consultant on domestic violence, writes that victims are "hyper vulnerable" in urban areas. Using cellphones abusers can track victims, look through their search history, and watch them through home cameras. Levenson believes that thanks to technology victims' "worlds have gotten a lot smaller".
No matter the reason it is important to help Abuse victims. Currently, many domestic abuse organizations are very underfunded. In 2018, the Trump administration eliminated all federal funding to reproductive health and family nonprofits which included many nonprofits that helped IPV victims. Because of this, many shelters are unable to take in new victims and many organizations are unable to support survivors.
It is also important to ensure that every Californian county has platforms for domestic violence victims to access the help they need. Which means decriminalizing victims using public transport to reach help and creating safe lodgings for victims.
By channeling more resources to domestic violence organizations California can change the lives of hundreds of domestic abuse victims.
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