Throughout Florida and across the United States, millions of Americans have started to quarantine themselves in their homes in hopes of hindering the spread of Coronavirus and flattening the curve of new cases each day. However, since people are now stuck in their homes 24 hours a day and seven days a week -- either because they were either mandated to work from home by their job or, unfortunately, laid off -- the National Domestic Violence Hotline and law enforcement officials in every state expect an increase of domestic violence incidents in the coming weeks or months.
In fact, several domestic violence reporting systems have experienced an increase in phone calls within the last week. Whether we are in the middle of a pandemic or not, unemployment, guns in the home, forced sex, and previous incidents of domestic violence often lead to domestic homicide.
According to Axios, when China instituted its quarantine mandate, the number of domestic violence cases reported to the police tripled in February in comparison to last year. Activists claim enforced lockdown led to the spike of such incidents.
Throughout history, national and community crises have resulted in an increase in domestic violence reports. When the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted the Gulf of Mexico, the National Domestic Violence witnessed a 13 percent rise in calls from the area between April and June 2010. Domestic assaults against women almost doubled during Hurricane Katrina.
Since hospitals and other medical facilities in the U.S. are focusing on responding to the outbreak, health systems are currently overloaded, which victims of domestic violence will experience difficulties obtaining access to medical care. Furthermore, they are also afraid of potentially contracting the virus at medical facilities after dealing with physical abuse.
The Hoffman Firm Can Help Today
If you have been accused of domestic violence in Broward County during the Coronavirus pandemic, The Hoffman Firm is here to protect your rights and freedom during this frightening and uncertain time.
Our firm can handle most legal issues and communications with clients by phone, text, or e-mail. Do not hesitate to let us help you avoid serious criminal penalties immediately.
For more information about how we can help, contact us today at (305) 928-1669 and schedule a free consultation.