How Domestic Violence Survivors Can Get Support During Coronavirus Shelter-In-Place Measures

“As more and more U.S. states order residents to shelter in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, domestic violence services are scrambling to help vulnerable people navigate home lives that they say are increasingly unsafe during the pandemic. Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, says domestic violence survivors may find it impossible to seek help while quarantined at home with abusers. “It is going to be very difficult for a survivor to call the hotline when the perpetrator is sitting right next to them, or to be able to enter into an online chat with an advocate when their abusive partner is watching what they’re doing,” says Ray-Jones. “We are imploring friends, family, neighbors to contact the national domestic hotline on behalf of someone else because you may be their only lifeline.”

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