Domestic violence reports have risen in Milwaukee during coronavirus -- but there is help, advocates say

The coronavirus pandemic sent people into their homes to try to stop the spread of the deadly virus, but for some, another danger was waiting inside.

A month ago, advocates and law enforcement said they expected higher rates of domestic violence as quarantining kept a small number of people together for longer periods of time. 

In Milwaukee, their prediction was accurate.

Live Updates:The latest on coronavirus in Wisconsin

Daily Digest:What you need to know about coronavirus in Wisconsin

Share Your Story:We want to talk to doctors, nurses and others affected by coronavirus

The Milwaukee Police Department saw an 8% rise in reported domestic violence from Jan. 1 to April 1, compared with the same period last year. In the early weeks of April, the number of reports was 28% higher than last April, according to department data.

"We do think people have heightened anxiety and people might have suddenly lost their jobs, and with the stay-at-home order, people are not going to work or to their friends' or relatives' houses," said Lt. Annemarie Domurat, who works in the department's Sensitive Crimes Unit.

"We want people to know that if anyone feels unsafe in their current situation they should call 911," she added.

Prosecutors have seen a nearly 15% increase in domestic violence referrals, which come from police agencies across Milwaukee County, compared with the same time period last year, according to District Attorney John Chisholm.

The number of restraining orders has remained consistent. Filing moved online several weeks ago to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"You have to deal with the realities on the ground and adjust policies and practices accordingly," Chisholm said, adding he thinks remote filing should remain an option post-pandemic.

Domestic violence shelters and victim services have remained open in Milwaukee and across the state.

"The most important thing for the public to know and understand is that services and help is still out there," said Tammie Xiong, executive director of the Hmong American Women’s Association.

Concerns about unemployment, child care

Domestic violence already involves complicated dynamics of power and control.

Coronavirus has further complicated it.

People stay in abusive relationships for a variety of reasons: fear of subjecting their children to the disruption or losing custody of them; lack of housing or other support options; inadequate income to become independent; religious or family pressure; fear, stigma and many more.

"The barriers are the same, but they're more concrete right now under COVID-19," said Carmen Pitre, president and chief executive of Sojourner Family Peace Center. 

Victims have told Sojourner advocates that child care is a growing concern, with women working many essential jobs while day care centers are closed and family members are unable to help, leaving an abusive partner as the only option, Pitre said.

Other times, the victim has lost a job and an abusive partner is the only means of financial support.

"We have noticed an increase in our women survivors losing their jobs. Many of them are still at home with their perpetrators," Xiong said. "When you're trying to leave a relationship in the midst of this pandemic and if you have a roof overhead, even living with your abuser, that can be better than on the streets."

Attorneys practicing family law also have seen troubling cases of abusive partners citing the statewide stay-at-home order and refusing to comply with terms of custody agreement and keeping their children with them.

"The safer-at-home order explicitly states that travel to transport children for a custody agreement is essential," said Lia Ocasio, an attorney at RISE Law Center in Madison.

Ocasio said if people are experiencing this problem, they should document when custody is denied, seek legal help and alert the court to what is happening.

Advocates: 'We will work to support you'

Service providers have adapted to keep help available during the pandemic.

Sojourner has kept its doors open at North 6th and West Walnut streets to a small amount of walk-in traffic to comply with social distancing measures. Advocates there and at organizations around the state are doing remote advocacy over the phone or online.

"We will work to support you in whatever way makes sense for your life right now," Pitre said. "So maybe leaving is not possible, but a supportive conversation might be helpful so that you can get through this crisis."

Diverse & Resilient, which serves the LGBTQ community, has closed in-person services but still offers its phone "warmline" and online tools.

Although the volume of calls has slowed — likely because people do not want to call when an abuser is nearby — more people are using online options, said Kathy Flores, the organization's statewide anti-violence program manager.

"We're hearing from more high school and college students who are now quarantined with homophobic and transphobic relatives and hearing that family violence is on the rise," Flores said. "Youth are a little better at finding access online and we're hearing from them a little bit more."

In general, calls to domestic violence hotlines statewide have stayed the same or declined slightly, according to those interviewed by the Journal Sentinel.

"I do think whenever this ends, or however long it goes, that number will increase as soon as people are able to safely report and get away," Ocasio said.

How to get help

The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at (414) 933-2722 and offers assistance with e-filing for restraining orders at (414) 278-5079. The Milwaukee Women's Center also offers a hotline at (414) 671-6140.

The Asha Project, which serves African-American women in Milwaukee, provides a crisis line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (414) 252-0075. 

Diverse & Resilient, which serves the LGBTQ community, operates the "Room to Be Safe" resource line (414) 856-5428 and has online resources at roomtobesafe.org.

The Hmong American Women’s Association, which serves the Hmong and southeast Asian community, has advocates available at (414) 930-9352 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The WI Hmong Family Strengthening Helpline is available after hours at (877) 740-4292.

The UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee offers bi-lingual, bi-cultural, domestic violence, sexual assault and anti-human trafficking supportive services and operates a 24-hour hotline at (414) 389-6510.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at (800) 799-7233. For a list of domestic violence resources across the state, go to endabusewi.org/get-help/.

Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.