The coronavirus has caused a shadow pandemic of domestic violence that is happening behind closed doors, where women and children are bearing the brunt of the abuse.

Schools closed, and many workers have been laid off, or told to work from home. With personal movement limited and people confined to their homes, we are KWIG are concerned about the increase in intimate partner violence (IPV). Stay-at-home orders, intended to protect the public and prevent widespread infection, left many IPV victims trapped with their abusers.

One in 4 women and one in 10 men experience IPV, and violence can take various forms: it can be physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological.