COVID-19's Shadow

Houston City Hall. Photo by Ed Uthman.

At the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC), the rings do not stop, each one blaring with urgency and punctuated with fear. Filled to the brim with volunteers on the crisis hotline, the room is firm in its purpose and attuned to the gravity of each singular ring among the many. Today, however, Houston’s largest women’s shelter is facing a dangerous trend that it might not be able to keep up with—a rise in domestic violence.

Since early March, nearly every communication outlet globally has echoed the same words: stay home. While headlines list the mounting death toll of the COVID-19 crisis, home is the safest place to be for most, but not for all. The coronavirus pandemic uniquely threatens victims of domestic violence by placing them in their worst nightmare: lockdown with their abusers. 

COVID-19 is not the first crisis to bring about a surge in domestic violence cases in Houston, a city with a higher rate of intimate partner killings than the national average. After Hurricane Harvey, HAWC saw domestic violence homicides increase by 45%. COVID-19 is Harvey on steroids. Shortly after Houston issued a stay-at-home mandate, there was a 40% spike in domestic violence calls at HAWC. Local law enforcement felt the uptick of cases even earlier, with the Houston Police Department reporting 8.72% more domestic violence calls in March than February.

Not only has the number of cases increased; so has the variety of those cases. Prosecutor Echo Hutson noted that there was an increase in “pressure cooker” cases, incidents where people with no history of violence suddenly abused their partners. He also noted a greater intensity of violence in these new incidents. While COVID-19 did not singularly cause any domestic abuse cases, a mix of taxing conditions—such as a rise in unemployment, financial distress, and high pressure—laid upon unhealthy relationships could have contributed to this new wave of domestic violence cases.

Equipped with Harvey’s lesson, Houston’s city government did not ignore the issue. On April 22nd, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a domestic violence awareness initiative as a component of the city’s COVID-19 response. The initiative is threefold: track, inform, assist. 

First, the local leadership partnered with the Houston Area Women’s Center to closely track the rise in domestic violence calls.

Then, to discreetly inform victims about how to reach service providers that can help while taking COVID-19 precautions, the city is sending information through several channels, including flyers tacked on to HEB and Houston Food Bank distributions, alerts on the Office of Emergency Management’s messaging delivery systems, and an active NoCovidAbuse website and social media campaign comprised of resources from HAWC and the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.

Finally, to assist victims, the city government is utilizing HAWC’s expanded Safe Harbor program, which temporarily lodges victims in empty hotel rooms if they cannot gain access to a shelter. Uber partnered with Houston by providing a $50,000 grant of ride-sharing services for domestic violence victims, facilitating safe transportation to hotels and shelters.

Houston’s response set up a solid infrastructure which is proving effective in helping domestic violence victims secure an escape route, but it may not be enough as COVID-19 extends for more time. Despite Mayor Turner’s initiative, every escape route remains strained in some manner. Most shelters are full. Even without a pandemic, 78% of requests for emergency shelter in the Houston area go unfulfilled due to capacity issues. Emilee Whitehurst, President of HAWC, explained that “for every 10 people who turn to us in danger and need safe refuge, we can only house 3 on any given night. Typically, we refer 2, and tragically, we have to turn away 5.” Now, that issue is exacerbated by social distancing guidelines which reduce the capacities of shelters even further. Nonprofit shelters are struggling to acquire the usual funds since they can no longer hold large fundraising events. Victims could try to obtain a protective order against their abuser, which would make them 80% less likely to be revictimized, but courtrooms have closed, and virtual courtrooms are difficult for victims to use in earshot of their abuser. If a victim needs treatment, it is nearly impossible to receive medical care or counseling, considering that healthcare systems are overloaded. At this rate, many domestic violence victims will be caged in abusive dynamics, facing imminent injury and death. City action alone cannot fully strengthen their escape routes. State and federal actions are desperately needed, yet their responses have been grossly inadequate.

The state of Texas has fallen short in its response to domestic violence cases linked to the COVID-19 crisis. Texas’s failure to replicate Houston’s proactive response is problematic, considering that 42% of requests for emergency shelter in Texas go unmet due to capacity issues—without even accounting for new social distancing guidelines. Governor Abbott’s current focus is reopening the economy in phases, which could potentially facilitate routes to safety from domestic abuse, but more targeted action is still necessary.

The federal COVID-19 response may do more harm than good for domestic violence victims. While the National Domestic Violence Hotline is receiving and tracking thousands of calls where victims specifically cite COVID-19 as a condition of abuse, action to help those victims may be hindered by a strained budget. The pandemic’s blow to the economy is predicted to position social services first in line to suffer budget cuts, which could make an already overwhelmed structure even more unable to keep up with the influx of requests from victims. Thus far, the United States federal government has not incorporated action to address domestic violence in its COVID-19 response, but there are successful models to replicate. 

Several countries are exhibiting federal action to combat domestic violence right now, and it’s working. After Google recorded a 75% increase in online searches for help with domestic violence in Australia, the Australian government pledged $91 million to domestic violence support as a component of its COVID-19 response plan. The French government responded to a spike in domestic violence cases by funding 20,000 nights in hotel rooms for victims, implementing code word systems for victims to enter pharmacies and receive immediate help, and setting up popup counseling centers at supermarkets. The United Kingdom funneled 2 million euros into domestic abuse helplines and online support, donated 600,000 euros to charities which support victims, and is currently considering an emergency funding package that would remove prosecuting time limits and create more access points for victims to get help.

The first step for the United States is just acknowledging domestic violence publicly as part of the COVID-19 crisis, and as a part that is deserving of a response. Then, even if large-scale funding is not feasible, low-cost solutions such as implementing code words, setting up popup counseling in hotspots, leveraging technology to reach more victims, and making small donations to shelters could make a tremendous impact.

The United States has fallen behind, leaving an already vulnerable group with limited resources. Cities like Houston are not the anomaly; they are slowly becoming the norm. The United Nations warned that 6 more months of lockdown could mean 31 million more domestic violence incidents worldwide—a growth of pandemic proportions. Today, as we stand together to fight COVID-19, we must not forget the horrors multiplying in COVID-19’s shadow.

Sneha Mokkala is a rising senior at Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas. This essay was the winning submission in the Columbia Political Review’s 2020 High School Essay Contest.