Possible Spike During the Pandemic?

At a time where people are quarantined in their homes along with romantic partners, children, and pets, it is unfortunately not a surprise that many experts are fearing a spike in abuse as a result of this pandemic (1). While the article Why Child Welfare Experts Fear a Spike of ABuse During COVID-19 mostly focuses on child abuse, it would sadly not be a surprise if there was a spike in all types of abuse because as the article states, ‘It all just adds stress on top of stress,’ she said. ‘Any time there’s increased stress increases the risk of abuse on children.’” and the same is likely true for domestic and animal abuse. Based on our class definition of health: “an overall physical, emotional, and mental well-being and having access to achieve this disregarding socio-economic status and background” I think that this is an important topic to discuss because abuse can negatively affect all three types of well-being. With that being said, I have gathered some resources for people (and people who care for animals) to get help.

Domestic Abuse Resources

First of all, the National Domestic Abuse Hotline phone number is (800) 799-7233. Additionally, there are local resources available including a number of Women’s shelters which are listed here. There is also the option to contact the Adult and Family Services whose objective is to “Provide emergency services for victims of domestic violence and their children (2). More information about this can be found here and it is worth mentioning that these services are not based on income. 

Child Abuse Resources

With schools being closed, children are spending a lot of time at home and that could be problematic if they are living in an abusive situation. In Saratoga County, there is a Children’s Protective Service and that hotline number is 884-4151. More information about CPS can be found here where they outline both the protective and preventative objectives as well as the services provided. Some of these programs include but aren’t limited to case management, case planning, casework contacts, and daycare services. No child should be mistreated, and luckily there are services in place to prevent that from happening. I could not find any articles describing the way CPS has adjusted to COVID-19 in my community, but I am wondering how they are continuing to help keep children safe when school is remote and they don’t have as many possible opportunities to receive help.

Animal Abuse Resources

If an animal is being abused in Clifton Park then someone should call the Capital District Humane Association at (518) 664-1237 because they are the resource for Saratoga County (3). As a side note, I was also very happy to see that this website explicitly explains how you should and should not be taking care of an animal so that there is absolutely no excuse for anyone to say they didn’t know the law. Animal shelters are also a great resource if an animal has been mistreated because they can be brought to the shelter in the hopes that they will be adopted and from there they will have a better chance at a good life. 

How Can This Be Prevented?

All people and creatures deserve to be treated with kindness, especially during difficult times like what we are currently experiencing. There are a few resources available in my community to help make sure this is possible, but I think this is a very important issue and wish that there was more that could be done to make sure no one has to experience such a horrible thing. My suggestion would be some sort of preventative course of action, does anyone have any ideas about this?    

Sources:

(1) https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/why-child-welfare-experts-fear-a-spike-of-abuse-during-covid-19

(2) https://www.saratogacountyny.gov/departments/social-services/domestic-violence/

(3) https://cdha.net/pet-resources/animal-neglect-and-cruelty/