Connecticut police see an increase in domestic violencecalls during coronavirus stay-at-home orders

“When there is a confined space, it can be controlled by an abuser, and you add to that the various stresses that we

are all experiencing — all of that isolation and all of that stress leads to an increase in abusive behavior,” said

Mary-Jane Foster, president and CEO of Interval House in Hartford.

 

Domestic violence is about power and control, experts say, and, a key tactic of abusers is to cut victims’ contacts

with family and friends.

“Here’s a situation,” Barbara Damon, executive director of the Prudence Crandall Center in New Britain, said,

“where we’re all isolated from family and friends, so it’s just a toxic mix.”

Hartford police reported that family violence calls increased from 435 calls in March 2019 to 509 in March of this

year. City leaders recently announced that a four-member team of officers will be dedicated to investigating

domestic violence complaints.

Such calls concern any possible violence or threats by one member of a household against another or between

intimate partners who don’t live together, reports of protective order violations, child abuse and violence between

roommates. City officials said there probably are more victims who have not called police.

The state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection has been gathering data from state and

municipal police, including the large cities, and has found a slight rise in domestic calls for service, agency

spokesman Brian Foley said.

For communities covered by state troopers, figures for the month of March over four years show domestic calls in

March 2017 totaled 97, rising to 120 in 2018, falling to 94 in March 2019 and up again to 105 this past month.

In another comparison, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence surveyed police departments across

the state and found an 8% increase in calls during the first quarter of this year compared with the first three

months of 2019.

 

The coalition of 18 agencies across the state also has found that contacts to Safe Connect, Connecticut’s domestic

violence resource hub, increased from 1,060 contacts in January to 1,284 in February and 1,314 contacts in

March.

 

Seven percent of those who contacted Safe Connect over the past two weeks expressed concerns related

specifically to COVID-19. The 18 domestic violence organizations reported increased needs for basics such as

toiletries and clothing, behavioral health services, food, needs specific to children, such as distance learning, and

housing needs, especially from clients who fear they could lose their homes because they are unemployed.

“We know that this period of social distancing presents increased opportunities for domestic violence,” CCADV

leader Karen Jarmoc said. “While we are not necessarily viewing a significant increase in requests for help across

various systems, we can see that COVID-19 is having an impact on the ability of victims to access basic needs,

which can certainly exacerbate an already abusive relationship. Advocates across the state are being creative and

flexible in helping victims access these critical needs.”

 

Experts say domestic violence centers on control. Because abusers may feel they have lost some control — of

employment and finances, in particular — they may seek to increase control in their relationships.

 

“While necessary during a public health crisis, stay-at-home orders make it even more difficult for victims to seek

support,” said Debra A. Greenwood, president & CEO of The Center for Family Justice, which serves Bridgeport,

Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull.

 

“Social connectedness is critical for victims and survivors at a time like this,” Kai Belton, clinical director of Safe

Connect, said. “We encourage everyone to stay in touch with their friends and family, particularly if you already

suspect someone may be in an abusive relationship. Let them know that help is available 24/7 whenever they are

ready.”

“For folks who are experiencing isolation in homes with an abuser, it’s a potentially very dangerous time,” Damon

said. “I see the need for them to reach out and for neighbors and friends to reach out to them — you just don’t

know who needs a lifeline.”

 

Across the nation, calls to police and domestic violence hotlines have increased in many cities and towns,

according to news reports. USA Today reporters analyzed data from 53 law enforcement agencies around the

country and found calls for domestic disturbances and violence surged by 10% to 30% among many police

agencies that contributed data, the newspaper reported.

NBC News reported that of 22 law enforcement agencies that responded to a request for data on domestic violence

calls, 18 departments said they had seen a rise in March. Houston police, for example, received about 300 more

domestic violence calls in March than they did in February, a roughly 20% increase, NBC reported.

 

In China and Europe, domestic violence during the pandemic also has become a major concern. In Spain, the New

York Times reported, the emergency number for domestic violence received 18% more calls in the first two weeks

of lockdown than in the same period a month earlier.

Pope Francis on Monday called for prayers for victims of domestic violence, who are mostly women.

“Sometimes they (women) risk being victims of violence in a cohabitation that they bear like a weight that is far too heavy,” the pontiff said. “Let us pray for them, so the Lord grants them strength and that our communities support them along with their

families.”