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Turn to the cops, says advocate

by Anesta Henry
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With domestic abuse cases rising worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, a local advocate is appealing to victims to call on the police for help.

Chairperson of the Advocates Against Domestic Abuse (AADA) Barbara Daniel-Goddard said though locally there has not been any report highlighting an increase in domestic violence cases since the introduction of the national 24-hour curfew two weeks ago, her organisation is reminding victims that the police are still available and are required to respond to cases.

She said the reality stands that women predominantly, are victimized when confined to homes with abusive partners whose violent tendencies are enabled and spiked by financial and other stressors.

And, with Barbados’ curfew being extended for an additional two weeks due to a steady rise in COVID-19 cases, Daniel-Goddard said local advocates against domestic violence are fearful that the lockdown could result in an increase in abuse cases.

“From us as an organisation, our calls have not been great which we are very pleased about. I cannot speak about the other organisations, but we have not had a high volume of calls at this time and I am looking at that as a positive. But from looking at what is going on in the world right now, we do want to prevent this from becoming a major issue here.

“We have only one safe house in Barbados and victims who might not be able to ask a friend or neighbour to give them some assistance might no longer have an option due to the fact that we are all concerned about passing the virus to each other. So therefore people are very much ‘trapped’ in that situation,” Daniel-Goddard said.

“But they have the police. There is the family conflict unit of the Police Force that deals with domestic abuse. There might be some people who have got a court protection order in place, but is sharing that same home environment with the abuser.

“Remember, if you have a court protection order in place, the courts are still active. If your perpetrator is using the lockdown as a means to torment you physically or emotionally you can still go back to the courts and you must use the services to protect yourself as much as possible,” she added.

She also added that those women living in households with abusers who may be unable to go to a safe location, should resist being caught in hazardous areas in the home with the perpetrator, particularly the kitchen where sharp-edged tools are kept, or bathrooms which have no escape routes.

“Notice when he is getting irritated and look to see if you can move yourself out of that space and engage yourself with the children if you have. So wherever possible, be aware of your own safety and your children’s safety and do whatever is possible to keep yourself as safe as possible and remember that although we have the lockdown the police is still there,” she said.

Daniel-Goddard noted that victims are often afraid to call the police because they may have nowhere to go and could end up being stuck at the same location with the abuser after law enforcement officials leave.

The advocate said persons experiencing issues with domestic violence, including perpetrators, can contact the AADA hotline at 432-2873.

According to statistics released by the United Nations, reports of domestic violence in France increased by 30 per cent following the country’s lockdown on March 17. During the first two weeks of lockdowns in Spain, the emergency number for domestic violence received 18 per cent more calls; and help lines in Singapore have received 30 per cent more calls.

It has been reported that law enforcement agencies across the United States have seen domestic violence cases rise up to 35 per cent in recent weeks. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb

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