Stay-at-Home Order Cause of Spike in Chicago Domestic Violence Reports?

Domestic violence calls in the city of Chicago and Chicago area have seen a spike since the stay at home order was put in place.

In a recently published article by NBC Chicago:

“We are seeing a 15% increase in calls in the shelter-in-place time period over the same time period in 2019,” said Amanda Pyron, the executive director of The Network, which works with survivors of domestic violence.

In Chicago, according to numbers provided by the city, on March 30, the domestic abuse hotline received 104 calls, the highest daily volume in over a year.

One only needs to look at the increase in text messages to understand the gravity.

From March 21 to April 22, 2019, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline received five text messages, according to figures provided by The Network. In 2020, in the same time frame, the number was 118, an increase of over 2,000-percent.

“A 2,000% increase is stunning,” Pyron said. “But it just shows the risk victims are in when you can’t even make a safe phone call.”

Read the Full NBC Chicago Article Here

The city is helping provide for Lyft and Uber rides for those in need, she said, and the state increased funding for emergency housing for abuse victims.

Chicago Domestic Violence is a very serious charge and the accused, if found guilty, could face years in prison and have a felony record on their file for a lifetime. There are instances where the victim has been falsifying reports of abuse and they too, can face jail time.

Anyone seeking assistance is urged to call the hotline: 1-877-863-6338 and speak to an experienced attorney immediately.