Seventy-five percent of domestic violence shelters in the U.S. reported an increase in women seeking help since September and 73 percent of these shelters attribute this rise to financial issues, says Women’s eNews. The story cited an April survey of 600 domestic violence shelters by the dallas-based Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reported an increase in calls of 21 percent during 2008’s third quarter.
Says Rita Smith of the Denver-based National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: “Most importantly, domestic violence is a crime of access. Since a significant number of people have lost their jobs in the last six months that means more people are at home together for long periods of time. Money has always been an issue that causes stress between couples and in families. In addition to that factor, the abuse and violence are already part of the control tactics that batterers use, and this makes the mix extremely volatile.”