The situation for many survivors of domestic abuse after leaving a violent home has become “extremely difficult” since the coronavirus outbreak.

Police reports of domestic violence have recently spiked, but services in support of survivors are also worried about those who have worked hard to gain some stability in their lives only to face economic, social and mental health problems.

The loss of income that the pandemic can cause increases the risk of homelessness while child support issues can arise again, leaving women struggling to find enough resources to cope alone, says Elaine Compagno, manager of SOAR.

The free service by St Jeanne Antide Foundation targets those trying to rebuild their lives after abuse. Survivors are now also facing problems with child access due to social-distancing measures, she says.

“Some women have managed to reach an agreement with their former partners to use technology to avoid the children going outdoors, but if they have managed to create a safe and private space in their new home, allowing the father remote access means they must sacrifice some of that precious shelter.”

The breach of personal boundaries can trigger anxieties and post-traumatic stress disorder, which may have been contained until now, Compagno warns.

Allowing the father remote access means they must sacrifice some of that precious shelter

While SOAR does not deal directly with women in crisis, her own view about codes shared on Facebook for domestic violence victims stuck at home to be able to raise the alarm, is that they could put them at more risk.

Contact with the victim could alert the abuser and their devices could be monitored, while there is no centralised system or consensus on who would be contacted once that alarm is raised through Facebook.

Victims should reach out to specific services, Compagno says.

She suggests that for those without phone credit or Wi-Fi, pharmacies currently allowing in only one person at a time could convert their clinic room into a private phone booth for victims to contact the services they cannot access due to continuous monitoring.

Groceries and supermarkets should also display posters with important phone numbers.

Since the virus outbreak, most of Victim Support Malta’s domestic abuse clients have migrated to its online service, but some have also suspended their sessions due to a lack of privacy, safety issues or because they are technologically challenged.

“Many who live at home do not feel safe talking to our staff within hearing distance of the perpetrators and prefer to wait it out,” says Victim Support Malta executive chairperson Julianne Grima. 

Chat-based therapy via video and phone calls is offered when they are at work outside the home.