#parent | #kids | #childabuse | Local domestic violence calls increasing slightly as residents asked to stay home | Free


The medical community has assured the nation that staying home will help slow the spread of the coronavirus, but being confined at home can mean unintended consequences for victims of domestic abuse and child abuse.

Hotline tips for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services fell from 11,179 to 9,344 per week between late February and mid-March, The Texas Tribune reported. Drops like that are usually seen when those likely to report possible abuse, like teachers, aren’t around to make such calls. The tip drop coincided with increased efforts to slow Covid-19’s spread, such as closing schools, having non-essential employees stay home and closing non-essential businesses.

And, much as the staff at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Paris feared, there has been an increase in domestic violence calls to the Paris Police Department.

“Right now, from the data side of it, looks like family disturbance calls are increasing slightly, which is certainly better than expected,” Paris Police Chief Bob Hundley said, adding there had been a 10% increase in family calls for service in the first quarter of the year.

The recommended social distancing outside of the home has actually led to fewer assaults in general, Hundley said.

“People have to be within close proximity to each other to commit assault,” he said.

April is Child Abuse and Prevention Month, and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Paris usually invites the public to help it plant a pinwheel garden that represents each child the center served during the last year. Although the public’s participation was canceled due to Covid-19 concerns, the center’s staff planted the garden. There were 255 pinwheels.

“Unfortunately, we expect child abuse to rise during this time of stress and uncertainty but CAC Paris will remain mission-centered and continue to provide the critical services children need as they go through a child abuse investigation,” center staff stated in their garden notice.

Hundley said domestic cases could increase sharply if calls to quarantine go on for too long. The stress of job loss combined with isolation and a fear of the future are prime seeds for abuse.

“If someone gets into an abusive situation, their ability to leave is limited,” Hundley said.

Maisha Colter, CEO of the Houston-based nonprofit Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, said perpetrators tend to use isolation to assert power and control over their victims.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the police or the SAFE-T Crisis Center hotline at 903-783-1313.



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