Protecting Survivors During a Pandemic — Y. Joon Choi, Elyssa Schroeder
PROTECTING SURVIVORS DURING A PANDEMIC: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESIDENTIAL SERVICES RESPONSE TO COVID-19 Y .Joon Choi, MSW, PhD Associate Professor and PhD Program Director Elyssa Schroeder, MSW PhD Student
Y. Joon Choi
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istory has shown that in times of societal crisis, such as natural disasters and financial downturns, intimate partner violence (IPV) tends to rise. Recent events, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey and the Australian Black Saturday fires, elucidated this phenomenon by demonstrating increased IPV incidences up to four years after the natural disaster (Schumacher, 2010; Serrata & Hurtado Alvarado, 2019; Parkinson & Zara, 2013). Other studies have found that rapid increases in the unemployment rate and unstable economic conditions, as seen in the Great Recession of 2008, increased abusive partners' controlling behaviors (Schneider, Harknett, & McLanahan, 2016; Lucero, & Santiago, 2016). The COVID-19 pandemic created distinctive conditions that overlap the increased risk factors of both a natural disaster and an unstable economy for increased IPV while also further isolating survivors through social distancing practices. The United Nations estimates suggest that three months of quarantine could increase global domestic violence by 20% (United Nations Population Fund, 2020). In Georgia, domestic violence
Elyssa Schroeder
calls during the pandemic, including calls from first-time reporters, have increased 42-79% (Braverman, 2020; Burns, 2020; Evans, 2020). Domestic violence shelters represent a foundational service intervention that fulfills IPV survivor needs that cannot be met with other services (Lyon, Lane, & Menard, 2008). These residential programs provide 24/7 housing assistance for survivors fleeing IPV while providing additional wraparound supports such as therapy, legal advocacy, and case management. Shelters typically seek to
SOCIAL JUSTICE WANTED | 2020-2021
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