National Domestic Violence Hotline

Updated on 04/16/2020


According to a survey by NBC News, domestic violence calls to Houston police rose 20 percent in March 2020 compared to the month prior, just as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began causing many people to start sheltering in place and avoid leaving their homes.

Reporters said increases in domestic violence calls occurred in many other cities throughout the United States as well. Houston was 1 of 22 cities who responded to media inquiries about call levels, and it was 1 of 18 cities that reported a rise in domestic violence calls.

Houston PD received 300 more domestic violence calls in March than in February. If you do the math, it means that police received 1,500 calls about domestic violence in February, followed by 1,800 such calls in March.

NBC News said such increases across the country, while preliminary, “appear to support what many experts expected to happen: As city and state leaders ordered people to stay home to ward off COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, domestic abuse would become more prevalent.”

Social isolation raises concerns about domestic assault and family violence

The report said police and victims rights advocates attribute this increase to the stress of schools and businesses closing, which has resulted in many persons being unemployed and facing financial problems.

But isolation by sheltering in place also raises safety issues.

 

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