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As Coronavirus Spreads Across Europe, So Does Domestic Violence

Lisa Bryant

   PARIS - The women arrive to safety stranded and shell shocked, very
   often clutching children. They are rescued after messages sneaked out
   in texts, emails and on Instagram, or reports of angry arguments or
   blows. Other victims manage to slip out to alert a local pharmacist,
   using a new code word for their predicament.

   Across Europe, a toxic mix of coronavirus-triggered lockdowns and
   rising anxiety over the pandemic's fallout is creating fertile ground
   for deepening domestic violence, experts say. Governments more focused
   on containing the pandemic were less prepared for this crisis.

   Only now are authorities scrambling to respond -- even as women's
   groups say far more resources are needed to combat domestic abuse, now
   and in the future.

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