COVID-19: Outreach to Domestic Abuse Victims in Times of Quarantine

Police reports suggest that domestic abuse (DA) has risen as a result of the pandemic, yet there is concern that the share of DA incidents reported may have fallen. When a victim and abuser are quarantined together, calling the police may jeopardize the victim's safety. As a result, greater numbers of victims are increasingly isolated and at risk. So how can victims get help? How can authorities let them know what options are available? Direct messaging can be dangerous, since texts from the police may provoke a controlling abuser. We propose a targeted social media campaign to inform potential high-risk victims about the Silent Solution, a safer option for contacting police. Our approach leverages the wide use of social media, which also poses less risk than direct messaging. Whereas text messages are actively sent, social media adverts are passively received. The study will identify potential high-risk victims and randomly select half for the media campaign. Analysis of DA calls will show whether the approach is effective. If so, it will provide an approach for reaching isolated DA victims, and for giving them options to get help, that will be of value both during quarantine and beyond.