The Impact of COVID-19 on Domestic Violence Hearings in Washington D.C.: Weighing the Pros and Cons of Virtual Hearings for Domestic Violence Survivors
The home, while a sanctuary and safe place for many people, can be the most dangerous place
for a woman. In the United States, one in three women have experienced domestic violence. In Washington, D.C., one in four women are victims of domestic violence. When lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were imposed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, rates of domestic violence incidents skyrocketed, increasing by 8.1% nationwide. Women of color, who already experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the US, have been subject to even more frequent and severe abuse during the pandemic …