Ames Today

While lockdown orders are in place, it has become normal to not see anyone outside of the home for days or weeks. 

Local agencies are aware that the lack of interaction and social accountability may be leading to an increase in abuses and are calling upon residents to help fight back against this travesty. 

According to Ames Tribune, Anasia Sturdivant serves as the youth and family domestic abuse coordinator for Assault Care Center Extending Shelter & Support (ACCESS) and said that violence is everywhere, but unfortunately it is going unnoticed at this time due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“Society, as a whole in this country, has kind of looked at this situation as one where everyone is safely at home doing Pinterest crafts with their families, but that’s not the case for everybody,” Sturdivant said.

A particularly concerning trend is the fact that reported abuses are decreasing significantly due to the lockdown and stay-at-home orders. 

Iowa Department of Human Services spokesperson Matt Highland commented on the trend and said that lower reported numbers did not equate to actual declines in the offenses. 

“It’s not that we’ve seen a decreased issue, but rather a significant decline in reporting. We do not believe that abuse is substantially decreasing because of the pandemic, but the reports coming in are,” Highland said.

School closures are also meaning that more students are at home, possibly in dangerous situations, whereas they would normally be at school with teachers who could see signs of abuse and report those findings. 

In the first week of March, Iowa educators reported 342 cases of child abuse but in the first week April there have been only 11, Highland said. 

“That’s why we are putting out the call to neighbors, religious communities, family members and people who have children and vulnerable adults in their life to reach out if they’re suspecting abuse,” Highland said.