Calls to domestic violence hotlines soar as demand increases

NORTH CAROLINA — The National Domestic Violence Hotline is experiencing what it’s calling unusually high call volume, according to our partners at WTVD.

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, North Carolina domestic violence hotlines receive 575 calls a month and average nearly 24 calls an hour.

Intimate partner violence affects more than 12 million people a year. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men ages 18 and older have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according to WTVD.

“Our services are needed. We’re speaking to individuals who are at different parts of their journey. Some wonder if what they are experiencing abuse,” said Associate Director of Interact Jasmine Peyton.

Interact is the only organization in Wake County that offers domestic violence crisis lines, an emergency shelter, and a Solace Center.

They told WTVD, it starts with control.

“A lot of what abuse is is the offender attempting to gain control of the situation, and in order to do that, isolation is something our survivors experience,” Payton explained. “Somebody is feeling isolated. Somebody may be active and social, but no longer that way. An individual is constantly being monitored.”

Control is a tactic abusers use to keep victims silent. While getting them to come forward can be difficult, experts told WTVD that’s changing.

“Individuals are realizing they can go seek help safely,” Peyton elaborated.

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