AG Racine Shares Resources To Help Domestic Violence Survivors During COVID-19

April 15, 2020

Domestic Violence Calls from D.C. Residents Surge During Coronavirus Closures

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today shared resources to help combat domestic violence in the District during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the District’s stay-at-home order and social distancing guidelines are necessary to slow the spread of coronavirus, it may threaten the safety of residents who live with an abuser and experience intimate partner violence, including physical and sexual violence. In fact, D.C. Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment (SAFE), the District’s only 24/7 crisis intervention agency for domestic violence, saw their calls double during the first two weeks of the declared public health emergency. The Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Domestic Violence and Special Victims Section works to protect victims of domestic violence by obtaining civil protection orders (CPO) on their behalf and prosecuting individuals who violate CPOs. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call or text 911.