A Pandemic Behind Closed Doors
Domestic Violence and Abuse in Chicago During COVID-19
After the Pandemic struck last year, domestic violence and abuse rates increased dramatically as individuals faced stay at home orders trapping them with their abusers.
By Jean Serrano and Sarita Cavazos
Editor’s note: The domestic survivors’ names have been changed to surnames for this story.
When the stay-at-home orders were announced in March 2020, many families and partners shuttered themselves away in safety from the COVID-19 virus through the summer. Many found new hobbies, sought comfort in each other and emerged from the brunt of the pandemic as a team.
But for others, this was not reality.
Behind closed doors, another pandemic was raging, one of violence and abuse, an analysis of Chicago crime data shows. According to the Chicago Police Department, the number of domestic violence homicides in Chicago nearly doubled from 33 in 2019 to 62 in 2020.
Megan Wiesner, supervisor of Clinical Services at WINGS program in Chicago, found that while incidents of domestic violence went up, the number of those reaching out for services did not correlate.
“In the beginning of the pandemic, although research showed that incidents of domestic violence went up, there were many first time domestic calls made to the police during this time, victims actually did not reach out,” Weisner said. “This may have been due to fear of seeking shelter during a pandemic. However, as time has gone on-with vaccinations and knowledge of how to keep healthy, victims began reaching out for services again”
According to The Chicago Tribune, cases surged during 2020. Shelters for endangered women, children, and victims in Chicago are dispersed throughout the city, however there is not as much space available within these shelters after the loss of beds due to social distancing.
There are only 15 domestic violence and abuse shelters and programs in Chicago, as some of these shelters, such as Connections for Abused Women (CAW), have reduced capacity significantly, CAW reduced space from 42 residents to 30.
Another issue pervasive to this topic is the issue of finances and childcare, especially in a pandemic that shut down schools and severely restricted individuals finances.
“A victim of domestic violence often feels that they can not leave an abuser because financially they can not afford childcare for their children or transportation,” Weisner said. “There has been limited funding always for childcare and transportation needs of victims of domestic violence, and this has only become more difficult during the pandemic.
“Many daycares are limited with the number of children they can accept or close when there is an exposer to COVID, making it extremely difficult for a single parent to try to obtain and maintain employment.”
There are legal ramifications too, when courthouses had to shut down or limit occupancy, victims lost significant access to full and functioning legal protections.
“Access to filing Orders of Protections against abusers has been extremely difficult in many courthouse locations,” Weisner said. “Some courts moved to virtually hearing petitions for Orders of Protections-there are examples of abusers being present in the background when a victim was trying to virtually file an order.
“The legal advocates for victims that usually work within courthouses began working remotely, which made seeking assistance more difficult for victims. My understanding is that this varies at different courthouses, so the experiences of victims are different depending on where the incident of domestic violence occurred/where the victim lives.”
Pandemic-Sized Consequences
One of the tragic consequences of the pandemic was victims finding themselves trapped at home with their abusers, in dangerous and vulnerable situations. Stay at home orders were for general public safety, but these further endangered individuals who just needed a way out.
Graphic: US Google search data for the National Domestic Violence Hotline over the course of last year and 2019.
- In 2019, the term was search far less than it was searched in 2020, with fewer peaks and increases in searches
- There are more peaks occurring over the summer in 2020, including at the height of civil unrest and the pandemic
- This could be indicative of the increase in need for individuals across the United States, and victims found themselves trapped inside with their abusers.
It’s a similar story in Illinois too, with peaks beginning in late spring of 2020 and repeating until the end of the year.
Chicago’s search data almost mirrors itself from 2019 to 2020, which could indicate a consistent city-based need compared to state or national need.
Colleen Montgomery of the Center for Abused Women and Their Children said the pandemic has exacerbated domestic violence and abuse in both known and unknown ways. The pandemic has offered abusers a leverage of power, presenting a power dynamic over physical health in addition to mental.
“Some ways we have seen our clients impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic have been being scared to go to a hospital for care after for physical or mental health needs related to the violence,” Montgomery said. “Transitioning to working from home alongside their perpetrator, perpetrator’s using COVID-19 as a control tactic by withholding personal protective equipment from the survivor or refusing to let them leave the home, and survivors losing people in their support network due to COVID-19 illness.”
How agencies and resources are accessed has also had to change. Wiesner recalled that the tactics used both by providers and clients in order to receive care had to be altered in order to address the changing situations brought on by the pandemic.
“Domestic violence services and agencies have become creative about how they offer services. Some services are offered in-person,” Weisner said. “I am aware of a legal resource that disguises virtual domestic violence assistance as online cooking classes- so if an abuser were to look over a victim’s shoulder they would not know what the meeting was actually for.
“Individuals experiencing domestic violence are also very creative and resilient and find ways to seek help. For example, some of our counseling clients will have sessions while parked safely in their car when they have told their abuser they are going to the store”
Both men and women can experience domestic violence and abuse, however women experience it more than men. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in four women and 1 in 10 men experience domestic violence a year in the United States. This is equivalent to 10 million adults a year, and is also equivalent to 1 adult experiencing domestic violence every three seconds. These acts of violence may drastically change people’s lives, especially if they have to leave their homes in fear of experiencing more violence and harm by their partner.
Domestic violence cases also contribute to the homeless epidemic in the city as victims of domestic violence escape their homes in search of safety. Many non-profit domestic violence organizations that work with survivors help aid by providing temporary housing, however some victims of domestic violence fall outside the traditional categories or qualifiers for this aid.
According to Family and Youth Services Bureau, 57% of all homeless women report that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness. Domestic violence is extremely common in The United States of America, equating to more than 10 million women and men.
“Research teaches us those individuals who at the highest risk of experiencing domestic violence include, but are not limited to: women, individuals who have experienced abuse in the past, individuals with limited support networks and access to resources, pregnant individuals, individuals with disabilities or mental illness, individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community, and seniors,” Montgomery said. “Identification within multiple at-risk groups increases risk of experiencing domestic violence”
Domestic violence can also take many forms, Montgomery said other forms include:
- Economic abuse: exploiting someone’s income, limiting access to their own funds, taking out credit cards or debt in survivor’s name, preventing a survivor from getting a job
- Psychological abuse: gas lighting, using coercion and threats, using intimidation to influence a survivor’s choices, exploiting male privilege, minimizing the abuse.
- Emotional abuse: attacking a survivor’s sense of self-worth, putting them down, calling them names, blaming the survivor for the abuse.
- Sexual abuse: forcing the survivor to perform sexual acts when they don’t want to, sexual assault, forcing a survivor to have sex with other people, forcing someone to watch sexual videos or images.
- Cyber-stalking: tracing a survivor’s moves through their cell phone, reading their private emails, limiting their access to websites, accessing the survivor’s social media accounts without permission.”
According to The City of Chicago Data Portal, three in four women who reported they had been raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 say that their abuser ended up being their partner the date that the assault was committed. The data also notes that 80% of women who are abused by their partner end up being stalked by them.
However, this form of stalking and sexual abuse is not limited to romantic partners. Childen involved in families who experience domestic violence and abuse also experience stalking and sexual assault. Sarah, 21, is a college student at The University of Illinois at Chicago, who is a domestic violence and abuse survivor and has been a victim of sexual abuse and stalking.
Sarah said that her single mother, a Filipino immigrant, was prone to unstable and abusive relationships which led to Sarah being introduced to multiple different abusive men that would harm her and her brother, as well as her mom. During these abusive encounters, oftentimes Sarah’s mom was at work and not around to see a lot of the abuse her children, including Sarah, would experience.
During these abusive encounters, there were times where one of the men would sexually assault Sarah. This abuser not only sexually assaulted Sarah, but would later stalk her and her family. This led to Sarah being afraid to go to school, be in the comfort of her home, or have a routine. This created an estranged relationship with her mother that has been difficult to repair.
The moment Sarah realized she experienced an abusive upbringing was not when she was young, but rather when she was retelling stories to her friend at an older age and her friend mentioned that what Sarah experienced is not okay and should never be normalized.
Sarah said she was desensitized to the abuse since she was introduced to it at such a young age and did not realize how negatively these experiences have affected her. Now Sarah is in therapy and is learning to unpack her trauma with domestic violence and abuse.
Sarah said how privileged the United States is to even have some form of resources to educate our new and even older generations.
“I noticed in America, we have more of a privilege to notice abuse as [actual] abuse and physical, verbal and emotional, even financial, said Sarah. We have the privilege to work on it and speak on it whereas where [her mom] was raised in the Philippines, [my mom] didn’t notice getting beat was wrong because that’s what [my mom’s] parents taught her”
But the United States, and Chicago in particular, can do more to help victims and lower the rates of domestic violence. Montgomery said methods that address victims need, and holding abusers accountable are good places to start.
“The City of Chicago can enact initiatives in both areas by continuing to partner with domestic violence agencies to connect survivors who have experienced police intervention to trained domestic violence professionals for support, resources, and counseling,” she said. “And holding perpetrators accountable for their choices through a just court system and rehabilitation services.”
But addressing domestic violence can also start at the roots, and recognize that police intervention is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
“The City of Chicago could also expand universal education resources about domestic violence for survivors and perpetrators in all communities, including the police district,” Montgomery said. “It’s a reality that BIPOC survivors can be fearful of calling the police for support, so it is important that the City of Chicago works to address the quality of care that police officers provide as first responders to domestic disturbances.”
The issue still at play however, is that while the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down, it has not gone away, and neither has domestic violence and abuse. Working from home and altered living arrangements are still the reality for many. There are still victims in toxic and abusive situations who need help and assistance, and they need it now.
Montgomery said many signs can indicate a friend or loved one is in an abusive situation.
“Isolating from friends and family, not engaging in activities they used to take joy in, having to check with someone before they make any decisions, not living out their values, walking on eggshells around their perpetrator, wearing clothes that don’t align with the seasons (like sweaters in the summer), using makeup to cover physical wounds, and exhibiting new or atypical symptoms of depression or anxiety,” she said.
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How to Get Help
If you or a loved one need immediate resources or are worried about a loved one in an abusive situation, please visit the national domestic violence support website www.thehotline.org or call their hotline +1–800–799-SAFE (7233).