Domestic Violence Awareness Month

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month dedicated to coming together in solidarity with victims and survivors by speaking out on relationship violence to provide education and empowerment.

Domestic violence, and other intimate partner violence, is a pattern of abusive behavior to keep power and control over a partner’s personal life. Abusive partners can use intimidation, threats, force, manipulation or coercion to establish and maintain this control over their partner. 

In the wake of COVID-19 and sheltering in place, domestic violence is an even more important discussion to have since it is understood that violence thrives in silence and isolation. 

In South Lake Tahoe there were 265 reports of domestic violence (domestic disturbance, domestic battery, domestic assault) from January 1, 2019 until October 9, 2020.

In 2019, there were 100 of those calls from January 1 - October 9.
In 2020, with the pandemic, there were 124 reports during the same time period.

32.9 percent of Californian women and 27.3 percent of Californian men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Many individuals in our communities are dealing with external factors and repercussions of COVID-19 such as financial strain, isolation, and stress, which can further compromise the safety of those who are in domestic violence relationships. Individuals quarantined with their abusive partners are in a more dangerous situation where they are unable to reach out for resources or support due being in close proximity. Domestic violence does not discriminate, it transcends all genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities, and cultures.

That means there are no communities that are “immune” from this issue. 

At Live Violence Free we offer a wide variety of confidential services that are free to those who are experiencing/have experienced these situations. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. Our crisis line is available for those in need 24/7/365 day a year at 530-544-4444. We have highly educated and compassionate advocates on our staff who are available every day from 8-4 to provide resources and support for anyone in need of help or looking for options and information, you can reach them at 530-544-2118. You can visit our website for a full list of services and programs we provide at www.liveviolencefree.org. For individuals who don’t have the ability to make calls due to close proximity to a partner, we have a confidential messaging program located on the homepage our website where you can be connected to an advocate in an online text chat.