It is widely believed that domestic violence spikes during the holiday season (from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day) but statistics give an unclear picture, at best. According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, the number of calls for help for domestic violence (domestic violence shelters, hotlines, or police) actually went down over 40% on Thanksgiving, dropped over 30% on Christmas, and was still down 25% on New Year’s. (2016)
Since the truth is often only found in the homes of those that experience domestic violence we have to rely on what we know to be true of abusive situations. We know that relationship stress, the abuser being home more often, increased alcohol use, and financial strain are often ‘triggers’ for abuse. We also know that all of these correlate with the holidays in general. We also know that abuse tends to occur in predictable cycles and that those cycles do not stop for the holiday season. We know that abuse is ultimately about maintaining control of the victim and that they would likely use the threat of abuse to ‘ruin’ the holiday for the family. So, it seems likely that the abuse or threat of abuse would continue on in the familiar cycle even during the holidays but that the victim may be more hesitant to call for help or take the children away from the family home to flee to a shelter. The ‘magic’ of Christmas is something that even domestic violence victims like to try to hang on to, especially for their children.
So how do we help victims during the holidays? We make sure that resources are quickly available in our communities. We maintain a vigilance in domestic violence awareness campaigns (October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month). We educate ourselves concerning the signs of abuse and look for them in our friends and family members. We partner with local abuse hotlines and shelters, providing funds and donations. We share resources in our communities and help ‘get the word out’ about options available for victims and their families.
For help with a domestic violence situation, anytime, day or night, call 1-888-554-2501 or go to www.thesafeplacearkansas.com for more information and resources. Together, we can break the cycle of abuse in our community!
https://breakthesilencedv.org/debunking-myths-dv-and-the-holidays/
https://mariadroste.org/resources/articles/domestic-violence-and-the-holidays-a-survivors-guide/
https://wcmqt.org/news/the-myth-of-holiday-domestic-violence/
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