Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a stay-at-home order this week, closing any non-essential businesses and sending their workers home. However, home may not be the safest place to be for those who live with their abusers.
People who face domestic violence are experiecning this pandemic just like the rest of us, but they also carry the weight of protecting themselves and possibly children from abuse.
Pam Wiseman, Executive Director of The New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said that most domestic violence offenders never see jail time. Often our society wrongly blames the victim she said.
"People who are abused are not abused becasue there is something wrong with them or because they did something bad. Right? It is because it is a coercive part of our culture" said Wiseman.
Wise and her co-workers are still supporting programs all over the state that provide resources like shelters, services for children, and counseling. But this is a time when the community should recognize how common and stigmatized this violence is.
For now, Wiseman does not anticipate problems for victims seeking orders of protection, but said they are still in need of donations like food, supplies, and hotel rooms.
Resources:
New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence
City of Albuquerque-Domestic Violence
National Domestic Violence Hotline
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