Talk Justice, an LSC Podcast: The Impact of the Pandemic and Natural Disasters on Domestic Violence Survivors
Contact
Carl Rauscher
Director of Communications and Media Relations
rauscherc@lsc.gov
202-295-1615
WASHINGTON — Experts discuss how the pandemic and natural disasters affect domestic violence survivors on the latest episode of Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) “Talk Justice” podcast released today. Their conversation highlights how the legal system is responding to the increased threat. LSC President Ronald S. Flagg hosts the episode with five guests:
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Circuit Court Judge Jason D. Dodson, Division 10, 21st Judicial Court of Missouri
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Brittany Hightower, staff attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid
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TeAndra M. Miller, managing attorney and project director, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Practice Group, Legal Aid of North Carolina
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Pamela Roychaudhury, managing attorney, Legal Aid of Western Missouri
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Deborah J. Vagins, president and CEO, National Network to End Domestic Violence
The need for legal services for domestic violence survivors is more critical than ever. Experts who have studied the spike in domestic violence that typically accompanies natural disasters have reported similar increases during the pandemic. Families are under many of the same pressures: job loss, strained finances, lack of childcare and disconnection from resources and social support systems.
“Many people did not have a safe place to even be able to make a phone call for help, since they were still stuck in their homes with their abusers,” explains Hightower. “This lack of access really amplified the disparity between people who were mostly okay beforehand and were able to transition to life within the pandemic versus those who were just kind of barely hanging on before and fell even further behind. So, for example, survivors in dangerous housing situations had even fewer options available to them because once the pandemic hit, there was a reduced capacity in shelters.”
Roychaudhury and Miller share how legal aid staff and pro bono volunteers have had to adapt creatively to reach survivors while working remotely. One outreach effort involved creating posters with QR codes. Clients could scan these posters, which were placed throughout the community, to gain immediate access to program information and support.
Forging partnerships becomes vital for organizations facing the challenges brought on by natural disasters or the pandemic. Service providers have had to determine how to immediately transition to online services, how to share resources and how to reach survivors.
Judge Dodson says that the courts faced similar pressures. "It was an uphill battle,” he explains. “We had to very consciously put together videos and try to disseminate them widely to our partners in the community. We had to reach out to TV stations and tried to get spots indicating that we are open. That, despite everything being closed, courts are not closed.”
Vagins ends the discussion on a hopeful note. “Despite the sobering statistics and the overwhelming challenges of the last year or more, the strength and resilience of the domestic violence survivors, and the advocates, the coalitions, local programs and legal aid attorneys, give us reason for hope,” she says. “We've really seen heroic efforts of staff as they stretched every penny of funding.”
Talk Justice episodes are available online and on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple and other popular podcast apps. The podcast is sponsored by LSC’s Leaders Council.
Future episodes of Talk Justice will provide an overview of major access-to-justice developments in 2021 and the issues facing rural Americans who often reside in “legal deserts.”