Omar E. Zapata | THE RIDER
Due to COVID-19 and shelter-at-home orders, domestic violence issues have been on the rise nationally as people are having to stay at home during the pandemic.
In the U.S., there was a 9% increase in total contacts between March 16 and May 16, according to a COVID-19 special report by the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 all year to talk confidentially with anyone experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship.
โWe know any external factors that add stress, isolation and financial strain can create circumstances where a survivorโs safety is further compromised–this pandemic has elements of all three,โ the special report said.
A total of 62,413 contacts were answered by the national hotline, with 6,210 contacts citing COVID-19 as the problem. Ninety percent of all contacts during that period reported experiencing emotional/verbal abuse and 61% experiencing some kind of physical abuse.
Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr. told The Rider his office has seen an increase in domestic violence calls, incidents and protective orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked how much of an increase there was, Rodriguez replied he did not have the exact figure at hand.
โOur phone is ringing off the wall,โ he said. โI mean, a whole lot, which in a way is good and in a way itโs not.โ
Rodriguez explained the increase is a good sign that people are reaching out and asking for help for themselves or someone experiencing domestic violence, whether it is to his office or a local agency. The bad part is having a call about domestic violence, he said. No one wants a call about that.
In Cameron County, District Attorney Luis V. Saenz told The Rider the county has not seen an increase in domestic violence cases but he is concerned that it is not getting reported.
โWeโre very concerned that the cases are out there but theyโre not being reported because the victim cannot report it,โ Saenz said.
He said, typically, when victims report domestic violence, they leave their home and while out, they report the abuse. With shelter-at-home orders in place, the victims cannot report it due to risking being caught by the perpetrator and giving rise to another domestic conflict.
โItโs created a worse situation for domestic violence victims,โ Saenz said. โItโs like the perfect storm against them.โ
Priscilla Palacios, the associate director of programs for the Office for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention (OVAVP) at UTRGV, said it has been more difficult for students to reach out to them since the victims are at home with their abuser.
โWe are a department on campus that provides resources and information to โฆ students, staff and faculty,โ Palacios said. โWe are confidential, and we provide them with the information on what is available for them, as far as campus resources when it comes to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, and then we can also do referrals to community services.โ
She said OVAVP provides services remotely via phone call or Zoom and if necessary, can meet a person on campus following the appropriate precautions.
On OVAVPโs website, students and staff can find links to services, hotlines and local agencies that help domestic violence victims.
Mujeres Unidas helps victims in Hidalgo and Starr counties, while Friendship of Women Inc. and Family Crisis Center of the Rio Grande Valley help in Cameron and Willacy counties.
Palacios said the agencies provide free, confidential services to the community regarding domestic violence and sexual assault and have confidential shelters for victims.
Palacios suggests people experiencing domestic violence should document as much as possible, whether it be keeping a personal journal on occurrences of the abuse or letting someone know what is happening.
Both Hidalgo and Cameron district attorney offices work with local agencies to provide help and resources to domestic violence victims. Both also assist in helping victims get protective orders against their abusers.
Rodriguez said many people confuse a restraining order with a protective order.
He said a โrestraining order is more of a civil action that doesnโt have any teeth on it,โ but a protective order can lead to an arrest and charges if it is violated.
Saenz said it is protocol at his office every morning to review arraignments from the day prior and when they see that a defendant is in jail for domestic violence, they contact the victim. They provide the victim with advice on how to proceed, offering them a protective order and numbers of local agencies that can help.
Saenz said a problem he sees is a cycle of violence, where at first the victim makes a call about the abuse and the perpetrator gets arrested. But, the perpetrator starts working on getting the victim to drop the charges by different methods.
One example is that the perpetrator tells the victim if they continue with the charges, the abuser will get fired and will not be able to pay the mortgage, the car and other bills, he said. So, the victim starts to process that and will request the charges be dropped and will convince herself or himself that the perpetrator will not hurt them again and that it was a mistake.
โThatโs not going to be the end of it because once a perpetrator strikes one time, there is going to be a second time and the second is going to be easier than the first and there is going to be a third time,โ Saenz said. โThe third time is going to be easier than the second and one of these days, theyโre going to end up killed.โ
Both Hidalgo and Cameron county district attorneyโs offices, OVAVP and local agencies provide their services for free, even if an individual is undocumented. The individual will not be reported to any federal agency.
Saenz said this is an issue in which the perpetrator threatens an undocumented person with the fear of reporting them and getting them deported if they contact the police.
โWhether the person is undocumented, or a citizen, is not a relevant factor to us,โ he said. โThat person is a victim, period.โ
Rodriguez said the community needs to join together and stop domestic violence, that it has just as much power to make a difference in someoneโs life.
โI know for a fact that thereโs uncles, brothers, fathers, mothers who know that the relative is in a domestic violence relationship,โ he said. โWe canโt just stand by the sidelines and see it happen. โฆ We have to do something.โ
For more information on services or how to get help, visit the locations or call the numbers below.
Hidalgo County Office of the Criminal District Attorney
100 E. Cano St., Edinburg
292-7600
https://www.hidalgocounty.us/1690/Crime-Victim-Assistance
Cameron County District Attorney
964 E. Harrison St., Brownsville
544-0869
ย https://www.cameroncountyda.com/contact-us/
For the full COVID-19 special report by the National Domestic Violence Hotline, visit
