"Restrictions on movement introduced to combat the spread of the coronavirus have already greatly affected the day-to-day lives of hundreds of millions of people across the globe. But for victims of domestic abuse, or intimate partner violence, lockdown measures can present serious safety risks.
'During this time of social distancing and for some quarantine, more than ever survivors are isolated,' said Sabrina Santiago, co-executive director of the Network/La Red, a survivor-led social justice organization based in Boston that works to end domestic abuse in LGBTQ communities.
'Being confined with their abuser will lead to escalations of abuse and removes tools of survival such as being able to leave the house to escape or de-escalate abuse,' Santiago added.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently appealed for governments to address the 'horrifying global surge in domestic violence,' as a result of pandemic-related lockdowns. In France, reports of domestic abuse have increased 32 percent, and in many American cities there has been a sharp rise in the number of domestic violence calls made to law enforcement agencies."
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