Was the report on a possible increase in domestic violence a ‘media joke’?
A news release from the Coalition to End Domestic Violence, a policy organization “committed to finding substantial solutions to stop domestic violence in the United States”, describes a March 2020 warning and subsequent reporting, the “Biggest Media Hoax of 2020”
“I refer to the repeated assertion that due to Coronavirus, staying in their place or staying at home would be an increase or an increase in domestic violence cases,” said Dr Ed Bartlett, president of the CEDV.
The news release reads:
‘One of the reasons for the false allegations was the failure to acknowledge that domestic violence follows a cyclical pattern, with the number of cases rising in the spring and declining in the autumn. If this pattern is not recognized, increases due to seasonal changes can be incorrectly attributed to the coronavirus home policy. ”
Bartlett said the media accounts also consistently portrayed men as abusers.
“In short, it was just an example of how the domestic violence issue is driven much more by a story than by the truth.”
For Indiana’s Safe Passage, which helped victims of domestic violence in Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio, Ripley, Switzerland and Jefferson counties, the calls did not rise, but the severity of the calls.
Executive Director Jane Yorn said: ‘Since the first of September, we have had five homicides of domestic violence in our small six regional area, which have never been seen before. We may have one of these every three to four years. ”
Yorn said that domestic violence thrives in isolation and that it was a very big part of the pandemic, the economic tension, which also increases the likelihood of worse violence, as well as struggles with depression and other mental health problems. It’s all pieces of this puzzle that make it really logical that we will see a link between the increase in violence and seriousness, especially in areas where resources are limited. ‘
According to the most recent data in Ohio, 14% percent more deaths due to domestic violence occurred in the first few months of the pandemic, and an increase of 35% from June 2019 to June 2020.
Mary O’Doherty is the executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. In January, ODVN surveyed their 75 programs, including Women Helping Women and the YWCA Dove House, and found that ‘more than half of our programs show an increase in survivors seeking refuge, reports that survivors call the hotline or others types of requests for services. in 2020 compared to the year before.
“To me, the most convincing of all is that 58% of our programs have seen an increase in the severity of violence and injuries reported. And we have seen a disturbing increase in strangulation,” O’Doherty said.
O’Doherty says without the final numbers, it is difficult to say that the increase is in fact the result of the pandemic, but the numbers show an increase, regardless. The group is pushing the state legislature for $ 5 million in extra funds for domestic violence programs in Ohio and calls the current funding “extraordinarily low” compared to the surrounding states.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact one of the following sources:
Safe Passage’s 24-hour HelpLine: 877-733-1900
YWCA Hamilton 24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-800-618-6523
Women Helping Women: 513-381-5610
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