Domestic violence cases drop in Miami during coronavirus. Is that the calm before the storm?

It’s been a tough month for many families across Florida: Thousands already living on a shoestring have lost paychecks, kids are cooped up and there are constant worries about the threat of potentially deadly illness.

But, in Miami-Dade County at least, domestic violence arrests actually were down in March and petitions for restraining orders have decreased significantly. That trend stands in contrast to some regions are the world, where the stress of severe restrictions to combat the spread of novel coronavirus have produced a surge of abuse cases.

Experts and advocates hope it’s not just a case of the calm before the storm and also believe that official numbers don’t necessarily reflect reality. COVID-19 isn’t the only thing to worry about for many victims of abuse.

“It doesn’t surprise me that domestic violence arrests have gone down. Victims are scared to make the call because they don’t know what will result from it,” said Miguel De Grandy, the chairman of the Miami-Dade County Domestic Violence Oversight Board. “What will happen to the children? Many women are taking the abuse in order to minimize the risk to their children.”

The threat of being literally stuck at home with an abuser may make some women more afraid to report violence, experts say. And venturing to a courthouse or police station is now an uncertain process that could mean catching a deadly disease.

But as pandemic restrictions in Miami stretch into April, advocates believe reports of domestic violence will indeed rise, along with the demand for services.

So far, shelters for battered women remain open and a crucial lifeline for victims like Josseline, who arrived to one facility in early March, just before the stay-at-home restrictions escalated. For months beforehand, she endured a controlling and violent husband who refused to let her have friends, save money or go to school.

Hopes of getting on her feet have been quickly dashed by the coronavirus. She’d planned to leave The Lodge shelter in Miami within a few weeks, once she’d saved enough money for an apartment. But now, her hours clerking at gas stations have dried up to only about 15 per week and public buses have cut routes.

The available shelter space has allowed her to stay longer, which is a blessing.

“I was only supposed to stay 45 days, but I haven’t been able to save any money for my own place,” said Josseline, 40, who asked her last name not be used to protect her identity. “But they’ve extended me because of everything going on.”

Bad trend globally

As the coronavirus has largely shut down the world’s economy, infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands, officials have cautioned that domestic-violence victims are particularly vulnerable.

In hard-hit countries such as a China and Spain, calls for domestic-violence services have surged since the pandemic struck, the New York Times reported. In South Africa, there were almost 90,000 reports of violence against women during the first week alone of the country’s strict lockdown.

Domestic-violence reports in France have increased by at least 30 percent, according to the country’s interior minister; a campaign has now been launched to help non-French speakers get help.

“I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutteres wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

U.S. officials have echoed those same concerns. The head of the National Domestic Violence Hotline told Forbes that calls citing COVID-19 have surged since the week of March 16, when many cities across the country began issuing shelter-in-place orders.

There hasn’t been an overwhelming increase in reported domestic-violence cases in Miami-Dade, and in some cases, the numbers have dipped — although that doesn’t mean domestic violence isn’t happening.

In the City of Miami, there were 237 domestic-violence calls in March, actually down 11 from the same month in 2019, police reported.

In unincorporated Miami-Dade, police said, calls for domestic assaults went down slightly in March from the same month the year before. But calls regarding domestic “disturbances” went up to 1,830, a jump of nearly 20 percent from March 2019.

Across Miami-Dade, felony and misdemeanor arrests were down significantly in March: 543, down nearly 17 percent from the previous 12-month average, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Calls to Miami-Dade’s domestic-violence hotline have so far stayed steady, according to Ivon Mesa, who runs victim services and the county’s two SafeSpace shelters.

Court orders way down

Petitions for domestic-violence restraining orders, however, have gone down significantly since the pandemic shut down South Florida society.

Last week, only 39 petitions were filed, said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Caroll Kelly, the head of the domestic-violence division. “That’s low for us. Normally, we have about 60 or 70” per week, Kelly said.

The drop didn’t surprise Kelly. She said many victims, primarily women, fear their abusers may not have a place to stay if they are arrested — and even going outside to file a petition is a gamble.

“People are terrified of going out in public and contracting COVID-19,” Kelly said. “Victims are unable to leave the house. Many are stuck in a home with an abuser able to monitor whether they’re making a phone call, monitor their computers, who they’re talking to.”

It’s not like the self-isolation orders have somehow stemmed domestic violence.

Last weekend, a Hialeah man shot his ex-girlfriend and two of her relatives inside a Hialeah aprtment. He also wounded a Hialeah Police SWAT officer during a standoff. The gunman, Julio Mederos, 59, was killed in the standoff after he took a 9-year-old boy hostage; the child was unharmed.

The coronavirus quarantines have also sparked clashes.

One Homestead man was arrested in late March after police said he strangled his longtime girlfriend, and the mother of his three children, because she left to visit family in Orlando during the pandemic. “I was in fear for my children,” he said of his girlfriend’s venture that could have infected her; his case was dropped.

In Coral Gables, a woman got into an argument with her husband because he kept going to work and would not stay home. The wife tried to kick him out “because he might be contagious,” according to a police report. Their 25-year-old son emerged from his bedroom and pushed the father, police said. For that, he was jailed on a charge of misdemeanor battery. The court case remains open.

“People have to stay home with each other. They’re losing their jobs. Financial problems arise. Now, the children are home, and some don’t know if they’ll have food or medication,” said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “And they’re stuck at home — that’s always a formula for stress.”

Still, the court and support system set up for Miami-Dade domestic-violence victims is still operating, although procedures have changed significantly.

Victims are still showing up to the downtown Miami family courthouse, and branch courts, to file for restraining orders. But petitions are sent to an on-call judge working remotely.

This week, hearings started on Zoom, the videoconferencing service. For victims who don’t have Internet access, Miami-Dade County’s Coordinated Victims Assistance Center is providing space and technical support for victims to appear virtually for their court hearings.

Melissa, a 37-year-old woman who is living at The Lodge for the time being, got a restraining order against her estranged husband after she said he hit her in a jealous rage and stole her phone in February. He was arrested for witness tampering and strong-armed robbery.

After the incident, Melissa gave a statement to a domestic-violence prosecutor, but not in person but via video teleconference. Her ex is awaiting trial.

“I’ve been very grateful for all the services,” said Melissa, who did not want her last name used.

Shelter funding uncertain

The pandemic also could pinch funding for shelters at a time when they may be most needed.

Construction has continued on a second facility for The Lodge, which is funded by a government food and beverage tax. The tax numbers aren’t in yet for March, but the collection of the revenue likely plummeted because so many restaurants were forced to shut down, said De Grandy, the oversight chairman.

“The April numbers are going to be much worse,” said De Grandy, who this week urged the Miami-Dade County Commission to provide relief to the county’s shelters.

The Lodge shelter, which will soon be taken over by Miami-Dade County, has been operating fine for now. No clients or staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. The shelter is getting masks and more disinfectant as counseling sessions with victims have moved to an open courtyard in the facility, said chief operations officer Angela Diaz-Vidaillet.

The 49-bed facility has lost bed space because residents must be spaced out to avoid crowded rooms that make for easier viral transmissions. Only two women are allowed in the kitchen at a time.

“We continue to do counseling with victims over the phone,” Diaz-Vidaillet.

SafeSpace, which encompasses two county-run shelters, is taking similar precautions. Mesa, the executive director, acknowledged that many women may be apprehensive about leaving their homes for a shelter filled with other people.

But Mesa said staff and residents are doing their best to keep the shelters clean and maintain “social distance.”

“The message is we’re open and available,” Mesa said. “We are not overwhelmed.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 9:00 AM.