December – Holiday songs are playing, temperatures are dropping, and holiday lights adorn our homes and neighborhoods. While COVID-19 has put a damper on ugly sweater contests, holiday parties, and cookie swaps this year, many continue to view this as “the most wonderful time of the year.”
However, mixed in with the merriment of the holiday season is the stress and pressure that comes with preparing for and participating in the holiday spirit. It is easy to have high expectations during the holidays, both for yourself and placed on you by others, and it’s easy to let tension, stress, and even anger take the place of more light-hearted emotions.
In some cases, these more negative emotions can transform into scenarios that inflict mental and/or physical harm. While studies do not show an increase in domestic violence cases during holidays, it’s important to note that these instances do occur and may be heighted in 2020 because of COVID-19, decreased mobility, increased financial strain, and living in close, confined quarters.
It is important to note, for anyone experience domestic abuse or anyone with fear of domestic abuse, that help is available. The list below includes Santa Clara County / San Francisco Bay Area resources that are at your disposal during the holiday season. While our hope is that these resources will not be needed, we want to help ensure that everyone experiences a holiday that is safe and secure.
Wishing you a joyful, merry, and safe holiday season,
Gomez Edwards Law Group
Resources:
National
Breaking the Silence Against Domestic Violence (BTSADV)
A national nonprofit organization powerfully led by survivors-volunteers who help serve victims, survivors, and families affected by domestic violence.
HELPLINE 1-855-287-1777
Website: https://breakthesilencedv.org/
National Domestic Violence Hotline24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Contacts to The Hotline can expect highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages.
Call 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
If you need to text, they have a chat feature on their websitehttps://www.thehotline.org/
This site also enables safe viewing and they have a method to ‘leave the site safely’ so that it cannot be detected in your browsing history.
Local – San Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia Partnership to End Domestic Violence
https://www.cpedv.org/
This site has a comprehensive list and description of all state domestic violence service providers.
Sources:
https://breakthesilencedv.org/debunking-myths-dv-and-the-holidays/
https://wcmqt.org/news/the-myth-of-holiday-domestic-violence/
https://www.jessicayaffa.org/is-there-an-increase-in-domestic-violence-during-the-holidays/
https://www.dw.com/en/lockdowns-christmas-holidays-and-domestic-violence-a-dangerous-mix/a-55762710
https://womenagainstcrime.com/domestic-violence-and-the-holidays-what-you-should-know/
https://www.thehotline.org/
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