OPINION: Domestic violence calls have triple in parts of Ohio, new tool comes at perfect time
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen all around us, from rising infections to filled hospital beds.
Yet for most of us, one impact is all but hidden away: the toll the pandemic is taking on victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Men and women who suffer abuse are, in the best of times, often isolated by both fear and circumstance, especially if the abuser controls their every move. By putting additional stress on households and increasing isolation, the pandemic has made a bad situation worse.
Now there is a way for those at risk of harm to seek a civil protection order safely and conveniently, at any time. It’s an online tool that I hope everyone will share with those who may need help.
This month, Ohio Legal Help — a nonprofit organization launched in 2019 to help Ohioans access the civil justice system — unveiled a 24/7 secure online tool that allows victims and survivors to access and complete legal forms necessary to obtain a civil protection order.
Through the collaboration of Ohio Legal Help, the Ohio Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, now a domestic violence victim can more easily and safely take an important step to get out of an abusive environment.
More: 'This is not over today': Group advocates for domestic abuse survivors at Ohio Statehouse
OhioLegalHelp.org provides these forms in a digital format that allows users to complete them online at their own pace, saving the information as they go.
The site also reduces risk of discovery by allowing victims to access and fill out the forms when they are in a secure situation, such as when a partner isn’t home.
Because the website is mobile-first, users can complete the forms anywhere using their phones. The site includes an escape button so a user can quickly leave the webpage if necessary.
This resource couldn’t come at a better time.
The Ohio Domestic Violence Network, a collaboration of 75 local domestic violence programs that serve all 88 Ohio counties, reported in May that the number of calls to hotlines had nearly tripled at some locations in the previous fiscal year.
More than 4,000 misdemeanor domestic violence and stalking cases were prosecuted in Franklin County Municipal Court in 2020, as well as more than 3,000 so far this year, states a report from the court. According to the Columbus Division of Police, they have handled an average of 100 domestic violence calls per day since May.
Online tools and information like those found on OhioLegalHelp.org are essential as the pandemic puts thousands of Ohioans at heightened risk of abuse.
We can all help stem the tide by making sure friends, family members, employees and co-workers know about the resources available to them.
Sally W. Bloomfield is vice president of the Ohio Legal Help board and a partner at Bricker & Eckler.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What tools are there for domestic violence who want to get out in Ohio
