Houston-area domestic violence calls are increasing, cases more violent during coronavirus pandemic

[Mike 03]

Click2Houston
March 30, 2020, 6:10 pm
Full Headline: Houston-area domestic violence calls are increasing, cases more violent during coronavirus pandemic, officials say

HOUSTON – Some jurisdictions in the Houston area are reporting a spike in the number of domestic violence cases as more people spend extended periods of time at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Law enforcement officials and advocates are concerned that the number of domestic violence incidents will continue to rise because victims are in a uniquely vulnerable position due to stay-at-home orders and isolation.

“We are deeply concerned the calls for social isolation will compound the violence that people experience in their homes,” said Emilee Whitehurst, CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center.

Whitehurst said just this weekend alone, their crisis hotline received 150 calls for help. Whitehurst said that while the number of calls was not out of the ordinary, the nature of many of those calls was concerning.

“Over the weekend... we had 150 calls and half of those were shelter requests,” Whitehurst said. She said the requests for shelter were higher than normal.

The HAWC shelter is currently housing 100 women and children, Whitehurst said. Typically, the shelter has a capacity of 120, but that number has been reduced to ensure social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For those in imminent danger, Whitehurst said HAWC has the Safe Harbor program that helps women find hotels if they are facing immediate danger.

Montgomery County prosecutors say they’ve seen a 35% increase in domestic violence cases filed this month, as opposed to the same time period last year. Prosecutor Echo Hutson said the office is seeing cases where there has been a history of violence, but also an increase in what she calls “pressure cooker” cases where there isn’t a history of violence.

“People that may not have seen violence... where you put it all together in one house — with unemployment, stress, people are scared to go outside, they’re not allowed to go outside as much,” Hutson explained.

Hutson said victims are particularly vulnerable at this time because they are locked in with their attackers.

Read more: https://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/2020/03/30/houston-area-domestic-violence-calls-are-increasing-cases-more-violent-during-coronavirus-pandemic-officials-say/

Sadly, this will not surprise many people.

[BigmanPigman]

1. I have read many article in the past week about this.

I was thinking divorce will increase and then I read about domestic violence, especially in particular cultures and societies. Women will suffer at the hands of men, not germs.

[pat_k]

2. This is so depressing. (nt)