Grants Aim To Address Violence Against Women

Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday awarded close to $2 million in state grants to dozens of projects across the state meant to combat violence against women.

Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday awarded close to $2 million in state grants to dozens of projects across the state meant to combat violence against women.

The grants primarily focus on improving criminal justice responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking but also include victim service providers in 19 counties across the state. They provide equipment, training, and technical assistance for the establishment or enhancement of these teams.

The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence received the most money with more than $350,000 across two grants.

The funds are awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, and are administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.

Capito Testifies In Support of Reauthorizing The Violence Against Women Act

The Violence Against Women Act, also known as VAWA, was originally passed with bipartisan support in 1994. It provides resources for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence, and has been reauthorized several times since then.

The law lapsed at the end of 2018. Reauthorizations passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 and 2021. But it has not passed the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito addressed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday to support the act.

“Ending domestic violence and other VAWA-related crimes has been a priority of mine since I became a senator, but also as a congresswoman,” she testified. “As a matter of fact, the first time I ever came over to the senate was to join with then-Senator Biden to celebrate one of the reauthorizations in the early 2000s.

But she noted that she wants it to reflect the needs of her home state.

One of my concerns is that VAWA formulas need updating to better reflect our nation’s rural populations,” she said. “I’m also concerned about the plight of service providers who are struggling to recover economically, post-Covid. They need our help now, more than ever. “

Congress continues to fund related programs despite the lack of authorization.

Capito urged the Department of Justice to “update, to the maximum extent possible, its allocation methods to better reflect the needs of rural and remote areas, where many victims have unique challenges to reporting these crimes and seeking assistance.”

Advocates want the law updated. One key sticking point is closing the “boyfriend loophole.” That prevents people convicted of stalking or abusing a non-spouse partner from obtaining firearms.

Historically, VAWA has reportedly decreased domestic violence for women by 70 percent with a 50 percent increase in victims reporting crimes, according to information presented during the hearing.

But, numbers are beginning to rise again. Ninety-two percent of women murdered in 2018 were killed by men they knew.

Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois who chairs the committee, noted that COVID-19 has only made the issue worse.

“Over the past 18 months, many survivors have been isolated at home with an abuser,” he said. “Police departments throughout the country have also reported a spike in arrests and calls related to domestic violence. In my home state of Illinois, our domestic violence hotline experienced a 16 percent increase in calls in 2020.”

Courts Expanding Safety, Access Project To Ohio County

A new program launched by West Virginia’s Supreme Court that uses technology to promote safety and access in cases involving sexual assault and domestic violence is expanding to Ohio County, officials said.

The new system allows victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to file petitions for protective orders without going to a courthouse. Officials plan to test it Wednesday in Judge Heather Wood’s courtroom in Wheeling, a statement from the Supreme Court said. The system is expected to be operational in Ohio County beginning on Oct. 4.

Ohio County is the second community to pilot the program, which was introduced last month in Cabell County as a way to address safety concerns. The only option before the program was for victims to appear in person at the courthouse.

“This new system will provide an option to victims to help keep them safe from the people they allege assaulted them. We also are ensuring every person’s constitutional rights are protected,” Chief Justice Evan Jenkins said.

In Appalachia, It’s Always Hard to Leave an Abusive Home. Then Came a Pandemic.

When the coronavirus pandemic reached Appalachian Ohio, the first thing My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence agency which serves three counties in the state, did was make room. 

The shelter for adults and children quickly found alternative housing for many families in need. Now the shelter has enough space so that every family who comes seeking refuge can have their own bedroom and bathroom, important for social distancing and for keeping safe during COVID-19. If people who come to the shelter show signs of coronavirus, but may not test positive or even be able to get a test, My Sister’s Place has the resources to provide hotel stays for safe isolation. 

The organization also received funding for what Executive Director Kelly Cooke calls “shelter diversion funds.” 

“If somebody is able to safely stay with another friend or family member but maybe resources are tight,” she said, “we can help support that friend or family member financially so that they can take someone in.”

Classified as essential services in many states, domestic violence shelters like My Sister’s Place are still open through the pandemic, and, as reported by The New York Times, “adapting as best they can while trying to keep pace with constantly changing virus regulations.”

Cooke believes the work they’re doing is becoming even more urgent. Tensions are running high for families across the region, with many people are out of work, children out of school, food and household items running short— and bills due. Social workers in an interview with ProPublica, expressed concerns that “skyrocketing unemployment will further stress households prone to violence.”

This increase is happening across the board, impacting children and adults, and across the nation, not just in Appalachia. But in this region, specific considerations and limitations make the already precarious experience of trying to escape abuse even more difficult. Add in the COVID-19 crisis, a time of both unprecedented stress and lack of access to services, and people in abusive situations in Appalachia may find it even harder to reach help.    

Barriers to Access

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner violence–which can include physical injury or battery, psychological intimidation, or other abuse–or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Two of the states with the highest rates of violence against women are in Appalachia: Tennessee and South Carolina. In West Virginia, a call comes into a domestic violence hotline every 9 minutes, as reported by NCADV.

But the reasons for family violence in Appalachia are complex. 

Gender norms may be more patriarchal in the mountains than in some places, positioning a male partner or father as the unquestionable authority, and treating abuse as a family matter. According to Sarah Webb, Associate Professor of Instruction in the social work program at Ohio University, “Culturally we tend to not want to get involved in ‘family business’ and the result can be higher incidences of violence.”

“That is not just here [in Appalachia] though,” Webb said. “On a national level we are still not talking about and addressing family violence in the way that it needs to be addressed to save lives and reduce injury.”

Geographically isolated, accessing services was often a greater hurdle for some Appalachian victims and survivors even pre-pandemic.

“People who have resources tend to not go to a shelter when they’re experiencing family violence,” Cooke said. “They have people in their life who can take them in, or they have resources to stay somewhere else.”

But Appalachia has more people with lower incomes, who may not have those resources, Cooke said. “When someone is coming here for shelter, they do have to find their own way here. And that can be a barrier.” 

Abuse often involves control, and one way abusers control victims is dictating who they can see, where they can go. Families might only have one working car, which the abuser may control. Lack of public transportation makes it hard to get around more rural parts of the region. 

The reduced movement of quarantine conditions, with many people unable to go to work or school or even to parks or playgrounds, not only limits how many people will see or communicate with those being abused, it cuts down on opportunities for victims to reach out.

Parents may be spending more time with children, abusers with victims, and opportunities for a break, in the form of childcare, visiting friends or family, even just exiting the house for an errand, have diminished or disappeared. 

Leaving home for help at this time also seems more fraught and potentially dangerous than ever, including for, as The New York Times mentioned, “collateral victims of the virus who perhaps few have pondered, like the victims of rape or sexual assault, who may stay away from overrun hospitals for fear of exposure.”

“We are assuming that— and this is really just an assumption— people are just trying to hold out,” Cooke said. “[It’s] not a great time to upend your life in any way. I’m guessing that people are feeling anxious about everything else going on and are just trying to hold on at home until it’s over.”

Add in the shelter in place orders happening throughout the country, which further restrict movement, and some victims may now be trapped with their abusers, unable even to call or reach out via email.   

In Colorado, calls to a state child abuse hotline decreased by more than 700 calls the first week schools closed for the pandemic, which worries experts, as it means children may not be getting help. In Appalachia, Cooke said: “Our hotline calls have significantly decreased. And from what I’ve heard, that’s happening at least in some other places in Ohio.”

“It also feels a little eerie. That’s the word that people keep using here at the shelter, because we don’t know what that means. Our hotline rings all day long. We receive about 4,500 calls a year, and all of a sudden the phone just stopped.”

To help address issues of communication exacerbated by the pandemic, My Sister’s Place, which has an emergency shelter, a 24/7 hotline, and also offers court advocacy and counseling, has established a new cell phone number people can text. “We’re trying to think about all of the avenues,” Cooke said.

Connecting with help can be especially difficult in remote areas like some of Appalachia, where many households still do not have reliable internet. “Sometimes people, even when they’re out of minutes or don’t have a data plan, they can still text,” Cooke said.

‘We Take Care of Each Other’

One of the groups most vulnerable to abuse, throughout the region and nation, is children. As Webb said, “Children in unsafe homes that [were] able to get the routine, safety, and basic necessities such as food that school provides, are not able to get those things right now and that makes them even more vulnerable.”

The Zero Child Project, in a pamphlet on “Responding to Child Abuse During a Pandemic” notes that while children may not be in front of teachers, principals, and coaches every day in school and activities, children “may still have contact with all of these mandated reporters through virtual activities,” advising authority figures to look out for changed behavior or drops in school performance, as these may be signs of abuse.

But these signs could be difficult to quantify, as many children may be exhibiting signs of trauma simply from the pandemic itself, or be struggling to complete work in the new and different format of online school. The Zero Abuse Project recommends teachers be aware of yelling in the background of virtual calls, and to check in frequently with parents, as a poor grade may not just be a result of stress, but also a trigger for abuse.

“I think we all probably know one [or more] people in our communities who are not safe at home, or who are living in some kind of other circumstance that makes them even more vulnerable right now,” Webb said, advising people to “check in with those folks and make sure they are okay. Call them, stop by [from a distance], or ask a neighbor to check-in.”

“In our region we take care of each other— it’s one of the many things that makes me so proud to have been born and raised here,” Webb said. “If we have the means and ability, it is more important now than ever to be going the extra mile to take care of our neighbors and communities.” 

It is often very difficult to leave abusive situations. Even under the very best of circumstances, leaving abuse or abusers is a task complicated by family, finances, geography, the emotional abuse and control abusers exert over victims, and more— but the circumstances many people are in now are unprecedented in their lifetimes.

“Really, I would just encourage everyone to think about folks around them and to check in with people,” Cooke said. “I think this is a scary time for people, and the silence we’re getting is super concerning.”

Webb echoed Cooke’s statements— and reminded people to check in with themselves too. “One other way people can help is to make sure they are taking care of their own mental and physical health…and if they need help in doing this, please reach out to someone and ask.”

100 Days in Appalachia is published by West Virginia University Reed College of Media Innovation Center in collaboration with West Virginia Public Broadcasting and The Daily Yonder. For more on the project, follow along on FacebookTwitterInstagram.

The Dark Side Of Social Distancing — An Uptick In Domestic Violence Calls

Since stay-at-home orders were issued by Gov. Jim Justice on March 24, domestic violence calls are up in West Virginia. But advocates have seen fewer referrals for child abuse cases, and they think that will change once social distancing ends.

 

Call Volume Increases At Some W.Va. Domestic Violence Centers

 

Across West Virginia, there are several groups that help people in domestic violence situations find support, whether that’s for supplies or shelter. But the coronavirus pandemic has upended some of the traditional ways of doing that work.

“We have realized very quickly that staying at home is not always safe for everyone,” said Katie Spriggs, executive director of the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center in Martinsburg. 

The center is one of 14 licensed domestic violence programs in West Virginia that serve all 55 counties. These programs fall within the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and offer shelter, a 24-hour emergency hotline, advocacy, support and exit strategies for individuals and families in abusive situations. 

Spriggs said since the stay-at-home order was issued by Gov. Justice, calls for shelter through the Empowerment Center have gone up significantly. And at least half of those calls are a single parent with a child.

“During a normal time, we get anywhere from one to three calls each day for shelter,” she said. “I mean, our hotline probably rings 100 times [on a] normal day, but actually requesting shelter, like ready to go exit plan, about one to three. And now we’re seeing about six to eight in a day.”

All of West Virginia’s shelters are still open, but Spriggs said her team has been inundated with calls. 

Joyce Yedlosky, one of two team coordinators of the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said while the Coalition hadn’t heard whether all 14 programs have experienced an uptick in calls, some of them have.

Spriggs said all the licensed domestic violence programs have taken extra precautions to keep people safe, not only from abuse at home but also from COVID-19. 

“We started by moving the beds, and then we started incorporating extra cleaning into the schedule, obviously extra sanitizing. And then we issued our own mini stay-at-home order within the shelters,” she explained. “So [that] none of the clients were coming and going anymore unless they had a medical need or they were going to work.”

In the Eastern Panhandle, the Empowerment Center’s shelter normally offers 16 beds, but due to social distancing, it’s now 10. So, they have partnered with 12 hotels throughout Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan Counties to help provide shelter. During normal times, the Empowerment Center would typically only have one hotel partner per county.

So far, Spriggs said she’s not aware of any positive COVID-19 cases among those who they’ve placed in shelter. 

What About The Kids Who May Be Experiencing Domestic Violence?

Kate Flack, CEO of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network, or WVCAN, said her team is actually seeing a decrease in the number of child abuse reports coming in. But not because there is less child abuse happening right now, but because there are fewer eyes on kids.

 

“As soon as we have children back in closer connection and more frequent connection with their community-based allies, and trusted adults, we do expect there’s going to be a spike in reports,” Flack said.

WVCAN has a network of 21 advocacy centers serving 43 counties in the state. Centers support and coordinate the work of police, caseworkers, doctors, victim advocates, prosecutors and other professionals. And they’re still open during the pandemic. 

Last year, more than 4,500 West Virginia kids went to one of these centers due to allegations of physical or sexual abuse, exploitation or other types of endangerment. 

“Most children in West Virginia are very safe in their own homes, however those who are at risk of being abused, there’s a good chance that their abusers are at home with them,” she said.

Flack said the child advocacy centers have started offering tele-mental health, while still providing in-person forensic interviews for kids who may have been abused.

But, for Flack, it’s still a struggle to find some supplies.

“We’ve been trying to find materials for our centers, and they’ve been scrambling to find materials, even cleaning supplies,” she explained. “All of them were making sure that the kids are six feet apart from the interviewer, and most of them were making available masks.”

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Fewer Eyes On Kids

Flack said 1 in 5 reports of child abuse nationwide come from school serivce personnel. 

But this week Gov. Justice announced schools in West Virginia will remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Which begs the question, who will watch out for vulnerable kids stuck at home?

Berkeley County Superintendent of Schools Patrick Murphy said it’s about keeping that teacher-student support going through constant communication, whether through a phone call, or in a Zoom classroom, or just checking in on a child who visits a food drop off.

And if all else fails, he said his staff are prepared to stop by a home and check in on a child they may not have heard from. 

“Families that may not have technology or the ability to connect with some of the things that we are providing, so, there may be nothing wrong; we can’t jump to that conclusion,” he said. 

Murphy said doing home visits while still keeping physically distant, allows school staff members to see the students and connect that way, to make sure everything is okay — and to remind kids they aren’t alone.

Molly Born contributed to this story.

Service To Protect Crime Survivors Expands To Include W.Va. Jails

 

An informational network that is designed to help crime and rape survivors in West Virginia check an offender’s custody status has expanded to include all regional jails in the state.

The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation has widened the reach of its Victim Information and Notification Everyday network, or VINE. 

VINE is a free service that allows survivors to anonymously check an offender’s custody status by phone, internet and mobile app. Survivors can also receive real-time alerts of changes to an offender’s custody status via app, phone, email and text.

VINE now includes all ten regional jails in West Virginia. Prior to the expansion, the service only covered the state’s prisons.

In a press release from the Division of Corrections, Tonia Thomas, a team coordinator with the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the expanded service will help survivors “rest easy at night knowing where the perpetrator is.”

The service also allows victims to prepare and take extra safety precautions when their perpetrator is released. 

West Virginia began to expand VINE services to the regional jails in May.

More than 23,000 West Virginians have registered to use VINE services.

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