Thread by @monaeltahawy

In New York, the state with the most confirmed #COVID19 cases, some women who are survivors of domestic violence have either fled shelters back to their abusers out of fear, or they find they have limited opportunities to seek out and receive support google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc…

"A woman who is in a violent relationship and is thinking about going into the shelter...will say, 'You know what? I don't want to go into a shelter right now because I'm afraid of my children getting infected, living in a place where it's a shared living space.’” #COVID19 #NY

For Kavita Mehra, executive director of Sakhi for South Asian Women, which doesn't offer a shelter but instead provides resources and services to people dealing with domestic violence, the concerns revolve around the lack of opportunity to escape an abuser due to shelter-in-place

The team is working on actions survivors can use to stay safe;
-creating safety word w/children to help them recognize when situation is dangerous
-memorizing address of local police precinct
-knowing about local shelters
-having access to legal documents
-keeping cash on hand

"The perpetrator has made the decision to streamline expenses in the household, which include preventing her from keeping her cellphone and only allowing the family to keep his cellphone. Her entire lifeline has been stripped away because she's now reliant on his cellphone."