News of sexual assault in schools, professional settings, and religious organizations have made headlines in recent years. Unfortunately, the pandemic that is keeping everyone at home has not reduced the total number of reported cases of sexual abuse — instead, it has merely led the reported cases to become those occurring in the home.

This information comes from data collected by RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. According to ABC, the center runs a hotline that can be accessed either by phone or online, allowing victims to report instances of abuse and seek help. Unfortunately, assault reports have not decreased during the pandemic.

RAINN’s website explains that the sexual assault hotline is confidential, and connects callers with a staff member from a sexual assault service provider near the caller’s own location.

RAINN says that the total number of calls received has remained steady since the pandemic hit. The pandemic has affected the type of calls made, however.

Reportedly, an increased number of calls have reported that abuse has occurred in the home, and over 30 percent of calls placed in the last month have related to the coronavirus pandemic. March was the first time in the hotline’s operation that 50 percent of all calls were made by minors.

Scott Berkowitz, the president of RAINN, summarized this trend. He observed, “I suspect once we have data from this period it will show that certain types of sexual assaults decline, like assaults that typically start from meeting at a social setting like a bar or a party. At the same time, I think that sexual assaults of children and intimate partners will be way up.”

Information from the calls indicates that, tragically, this seems to be the case. Some callers report that being forced into staying at home with abusers had worsened their situations. Because of the limitations imposed by stay-at-home orders and business closures, victims are reportedly less able to reach out to help from others. The COVID-19 outbreak has also paused court hearings on abuse.

RAINN reporters say that victims experiencing increases abuse during this pandemic do not feel like hospitals are a good place to turn to for help. RAINN also explains that hospitals are currently less able to perform rape kit exams because their resources are occupied with dealing with the coronavirus.

Unfortunately, the lifting of stay-at-home around the country does not signal the end of a challenging time regarding sexual abuse. National Sexual Violence Resource Center spokeswoman Laura Palumbo anticipates that as stay-at-home orders are lifted, resource centers will face a flood of requests for aid from victims who experienced more abuse while sheltering in place. Like RAINN, the NSVRC connects sexual assault victims with resources.

Palumbo explains, “The volume and this situation is going to be compounding people’s experiences. They’ve had no way to seek immediate support or medical resources or other forms of assistance and because of that may be facing additional medical needs or mental health impacts.”

In the meantime, children who are victims of sexual abuse in their homes have expressed that they have resorted to reaching out to online hotlines like RAINN’s, particularly via the internet. According to RAINN, young people are more likely to use the online hotline than the phone hotline. Reportedly, they tend to access the hotline when they have a rare moment of privacy — perhaps under the guise of doing homework. Such was the typical scenario outlined by Berkowitz. 

To deal with the new challenges presented by the coronavirus, RAINN states that the organization’s 1,500 rape crisis centers around the country have increased staff to help respond to requests for assistance, and find places where their responders can treat requests for help with confidentiality. 

This new strain on the organization’s resources caused by COVID-19 reportedly comes on the heels of an initial strain posed by the #MeToo movement, and the increase in abuse reports and emotional distress that the movement spurred.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.