- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
Editor's Note: Joe Torre, former manager of the New York Yankees, is president of the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, which provides services to youth who have been traumatized by exposure to violence, including domestic violence, child abuse , teen dating abuse and sexual assault. The opinions expressed in this comment are those of the author; See more opinion articles at CNNE.COM/Opinion
(CNN) - As a child, I witnessed relentless verbal abuse and saw the results of the physical harm inflicted on my mother, Margaret. The author was not a stranger, but my father, a New York City police officer. The emotional and physical pain he suffered marked his life and mine as well.
I was fortunate, however, during those dark days.
There were times when I would come home from school, a place where I would find comfort, and see my dad's car in the driveway and head straight to a neighbor's house. Or I was able to escape by going out and playing baseball, a sport I loved and luckily for me, I excelled, thanks to the skills that transported me from the Brooklyn baseball fields to the major leagues.
With the covid-19 consuming our lives and putting so many at risk, I think of my early life and the young children like me who witnessed domestic violence in their homes. As more states are taking prudent and necessary steps to keep people indoors, "staying home" will not always translate into "being safe at home" in many homes across the country.
- MORE: Guillermo and Catalina talk by video call with school children to encourage them
In 2011, a study by the US Department of Justice estimated that 18.8 million children were exposed to domestic violence in their lifetime.
With so many young Americans staying at or near their homes during this crisis, we can expect many children to witness violence in their homes.
In fact, past crisis research indicates that the number of incidents and the intensity of domestic violence and child abuse often increase during the most stressful times.
CNN recently reported that in New York City, a domestic violence resource website saw its daily visitors double from March 18 to April 5.
During this period of unprecedented distress and worry, several critical issues come into play:
- Survivors of domestic violence and child abuse can no longer depend on going to work or school as a relief from the dangers they face at home.
- Security plans that generally work under normal circumstances are now being weakened.
- Existing violence and abuse in the home are exacerbated by high levels of stress. Children cannot seek help because they cannot speak in front of an abusive parent. Without school, there may not be anyone who “notices” signs of abuse and neglect and intervenes appropriately.
- An increase in runaway teens, who leave their violent homes, could lead to other dangers, including drug abuse, trafficking, and homelessness.
- Students contemplating suicide may not know where to seek help.
To make matters worse, the staggering unemployment rate could lead to exponential growth in incidents of domestic violence.
Unemployment is sure to cause more stress, and the Safe at Home Foundation, which my wife Ali and I founded 18 years ago to help young people and their families who have been exposed to domestic violence, has already witnessed a lot of Global problems that negatively affect families, which could lead to their members falling into abusive or alarming behavior.
In the past few weeks, many family members with whom our counselors have established a relationship have told us that they are concerned about becoming ill or unable to pay for medical care. Others fear not having enough food to feed their families.
However, we hear less from children, as the points of care in schools and other places of social service are closed. Schools, especially, are places where children can talk to teachers, counselors, and others, like the “Margaret's Place” teams our foundation has placed in schools in New York, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and the suburbs of New Jersey.
- MORE: A 5-year-old boy died after getting caught in a shooting while making TikTok videos with his father
Named after my mother, the safe rooms at "Margaret's Place", part of the Safe at Home Foundation and created in collaboration with schools, are locations within the school in these cities, where children affected by domestic violence can ask for help and speak to our counselors
Once, out of curiosity, a young man who was thinking of joining a gang stopped at one of our locations. Over time, with the help of our foundation, he began to think about applying to universities.
We are certainly not alone in our efforts to help children in abusive homes. Countless local, state, and national organizations are committed to ending the cycle of domestic violence and providing children with a safe home environment. Our collective mission, now more challenging than ever, has become even more essential.
With “Margaret's Place” and other similar locations closed across the country, children have fewer and fewer outlets to seek the kind of help and guidance that served that young man.
Fortunately, we can continue to help families by finding resources for food and other basic needs. And before school closed, the students we serve reviewed and revised their safety plans, were reminded of coping skills, and reminded that the violence to which they are exposed is not their fault and that they are not the the only ones that go through it.
By the time the crisis has subsided, we anticipate addressing the impact that this collective traumatic experience, and any previous and ongoing trauma that may have been exacerbated or untreated at this time, has had on students and their families. Behind the scenes, we are gathering resources on pain and loss and training our staff to respond to these kinds of issues, as they can now be portrayed differently in our school communities.
Our country is undoubtedly caught in a crisis without a clear timeline or ending, and I am afraid that my experiences as a child will be experienced by many others in the coming days, months, and years. I am concerned not only with the health of my loved ones and friends, but also with children who may not be safe at home. If you know a loved one, friend, or neighbor who lives in a violent home, find out as often as you follow the guidelines for social distancing.
coronavirus
