Helping Domestic Violence Survivors

One of the great human tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic (other than economic suffering and the devastating loss of health and life) is the increased hardship of some of the world’s most vulnerable people—domestic abuse survivors.

Globally, domestic violence is one of the greatest human rights violations. A UN Women’s brief from April 2020 reported that “243 million women and girls aged 15-49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months.” The outbreak of COVID-19 has corresponded with a dramatic increase in domestic violence incidents and demand for shelter around the world, including the countries of Singapore, Cyprus, Australia, France, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Spain, China the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Many survivors of domestic violence have been trapped at home with their abusers for weeks, if not months, without the buffers of work, school, support networks, and public spaces to provide relief from violence. The stress of economic and personal crises can increase the risk of domestic violence, as can substance abuse, which is also on the rise during the pandemic.

Many governments and organizations have adapted their strategies to provide new ways to help domestic abuse survivors during the pandemic. According to the WHO, “In France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Spain, pharmacies and supermarkets have become safe spaces where the utterance of a code word (‘MASK 19’) signals that urgent protection from a violent partner or cohabitant is required.” Many countries have also requisitioned hotel rooms to serve as emergency housing for survivors when local shelters have been unable to accommodate new arrivals because of the risk of infection.

Helping Survivors in New York City

New York City was hit early and hard by COVID-19—and by an increase in domestic violence incidents—as the city’s domestic violence outreach efforts had to adjust to the pandemic challenge. During the height of the pandemic, the Healing Center in Bay Ridge shifted from in-person support groups to providing food, financial aid, and remote outreach. The Brooklyn DA’s Domestic Violence Bureau added plexiglass partitions to resume hearings on domestic violence cases.

For some survivors in NY (and everywhere), a decrease in reports during the pandemic has led to concerns that survivors are having a harder time reaching out for help when their abusers are always close by. At the end of May, a task force on domestic violence prevention delivered a list of 10 recommendations on how to address the spike in domestic violence during the pandemic.

On a more positive note, the story of the Asiyah Women’s Center was recently shared in a lovely piece by Bklyner.’s Zainab Iqbal. The center is the first Muslim Women & Families Shelter in NYC and was founded in 2018 to provide Muslim, Arab, South Asian, and African American women a safe and empowering space while in the midst of transition. The center was named for Asiyah, the adopted mother of Moses who suffered abuse from her husband, Pharaoh, and is one of the most important women in Islam. Their current location offers 20 beds for women and children in need, and the team that runs it can reach many women in need on a cultural and religious level that other NYC shelters can’t provide. They are looking to expand by buying their first home which can house 45 women and children. They have raised nearly $40,000 of their $50,000 goal, and you can support them on GoFundMe here.

Domestic Violence Resources During the Pandemic

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