How to Advocate for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence During Coronavirus

There are so many ways to get involved, even while you’re staying in.
hotline illustration
Adobe Stock / siraanamwong

With the spread of the new coronavirus, domestic violence rates have surged worldwide, including here in the United States. If you’ve ever considered getting involved in the fight against domestic violence, now is the time. After a brief downtick at the beginning of shelter-in-place orders, physical abuse and the severity of domestic abuse injuries have increased. While domestic violence can affect anyone, the majority of victims are women, and those who are young, low-income, members of immigrant populations, LGBTQ, living with a disability, or Black or Native American are disproportionately affected by intimate partner violence compared to other populations. On top of disproportionate impacts of historical trauma, discrimination, and violence, communities of color are getting hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 at disproportionate rates.

For the first few months of the pandemic, many advocacy groups were launched into an even more elevated crisis mode, Doreen Nicholas, survivor engagement and systems change specialist at the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV), tells SELF. Across the nation, centers faced reduced shelter space due to social distancing, food shortages, lack of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies, and increasing constraints on already underfunded rural and tribal programs. Now a major focus for advocates is letting victims and survivors know that services are still available. As a survivor, I wanted to know how I could help in such a high-need time, so I asked a bunch of advocates to share the best ways to contribute.

1. Connect with advocates already doing the work in your area.

It’s important to understand from the start that this is complex, multifaceted work. In order to make the most of your skill set and avoid causing harm, advocates agree that contacting your local coalition is your best first step (find yours here). Depending on the coalition, you can reach out via their email, contact page, or volunteer sign-up form. From there, getting started typically involves in-person or online orientation, webinars, and training, says Nicholas.

2. Repost resources on social media.

For victims whose abusers are tracking their online activity, using Google to find help or the contact information of a shelter or hotline may not be possible. But if they follow people and accounts who are sharing posts from organizations that can help, they’ll be able to happen upon information that can help them. Follow, like, and share content from organizations such as the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV); the National Domestic Violence Hotline; The Network/La Red, a survivor-led organization working to end partner abuse in LGBQ, transgender, SM, and polyamorous communities; and #ShelterInSafety, a new campaign that encourages survivors to share creative tips for how to stay safe at home, suggests Katie Atkins, director of survivor services at The Network/La Red in Boston.

3. Support creative outreach efforts IRL.

Since many victims and survivors may be leaving home less or have limited internet access, the more resources you can put up in your community, the better. Posters, tear-off flyers, and safety cards (these are also called shoe cards because they’re business-size cards that someone who’s being victimized can hide in their shoe) can provide access to safety tips in light of COVID-19 and increased time at home, as can hot lines and chat numbers where advocates can help victims plan out the best next steps for their individual situation and needs.

Ask your local coalition for the materials, and call vendors to arrange contactless drop-offs. Great places to get the word out include bathrooms and bulletin boards at essential businesses like grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, and veterinarian’s offices as well as places of worship, says Nicholas.

4. Hold a virtual phone drive.

So many of us have cell phones of yesteryear sitting in some desk drawer, but we can put them to good use right now. Used cell phones can connect victims and survivors with resources and serve as back-up or emergency phones. Any wireless phone—including those without carrier subscriptions—can reach 911 (although cell phones being used without carriers cannot deliver the caller’s location to 911), says Bessie McManus, development and volunteer coordinator at Steps to End Domestic Violence in Burlington, Vermont.

What to do: Contact the drives coordinator at the nonprofit Secure the Call at 301-891-2900 or info@securethecall.org. They’ll provide everything you need to hold a virtual phone drive including a press release to email your coworkers, family, and friends as well as shipping materials for everyone to safely mail their phones. You can also reach out to your local coalition to see if they can support a drive—many advocacy centers and shelters take phone donations on an ongoing basis.

5. Send money, gift cards, or supplies.

Currently some advocacy organizations are helping people stay safe and access day-to-day needs while sheltering in place, and others are aiding survivors as they work through the logistics of starting over or moving into a new home. In both cases, donations can help. If you have room in your budget or gently used items stored away, take a look at your local advocacy center or shelter’s wishlist and donate online or at a drop-off site. You can’t go wrong with a Visa gift card, says Atkins. Otherwise, common high-demand items include quality face masks, hand sanitizer, menstrual products, diapers, baby wipes, children’s toys and clothes, and furniture to fill a new space.

6. Start training virtually for volunteer and staff positions.

There’s a huge demand for volunteers and staff to work for shelters, answer hotline calls, and facilitate support groups. But if you’re interested in any of the above, you’ll need to complete state-mandated training. Exactly what that entails will vary depending on where you live, but the standard course includes 32 to 40 hours of virtual or in-person training which covers a range of topics including the history of the domestic-violence advocacy movement, dynamics of domestic violence, your role as an advocate, safety planning, and self-care, says Nicholas.

Reach out to your local coalition to learn more about the process and sign up for a session. As of this writing, some programs already offer 100% online classes for new staff members and—for the foreseeable future—fully remote jobs due to the new coronavirus, says Elizabeth Carr, senior native affairs advisor for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.

7. Aid survivors in taking control of their finances.

Nearly three out of four survivors of domestic violence stay with their partner or return to them, sometimes for years, due to financial struggles, per a 2018 survey by the Institute of Women’s Policy Research. To help survivors move forward, volunteer to guide them through a financial empowerment course—many coalitions already have the curriculum ready for you, says Nicholas.

8. Take care of a temporarily displaced pet.

Victims and survivors often struggle to leave domestic violence situations or stay in them over legitimate concerns for the safety of their pet or the inability to secure housing for them, and this is an even greater challenge during COVID-19. But there are about 1,400 safe havens and counting around the U.S. that give pets a safe place in shelters, veterinarian’s offices, or foster homes. To serve as a walker, sitter, or foster parent, reach out to a safe haven in your area, and if there isn’t one, consider asking your vet or advocacy center if they’d be up for starting one—funding may be available, Phil Arkow, a coordinator for the National Resource Center on the LINK Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence, tells SELF.

9. Advocate for legislation that supports victims and survivors.

“We need committed activists to answer the call when we demand that Congress protect survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault during the pandemic,” Deborah J. Vagins, president and CEO of the NNEDV, tells SELF. How to do that: Sign up to receive action alerts to stay in the loop, and bookmark the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) news page, which regularly shares super-helpful tool kits with call scripts, templates for op-eds and letters to the editor, sample emails, and more.

10. Share your story (if you want to).

If you’re a survivor, telling your story can be a powerful way to reclaim your voice, educate others about the realities of domestic violence, and build solidarity with other survivors, says McManus. Have a one-on-one conversation with a loved one, post it anonymously with the help of a coalition, channel it into poetry or art, or submit a blog post, personal essay, or video to Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence, a survivor-led nonprofit with a mission to empower others to speak out.

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