Column
Nurses Are Using Zoom to Help Survivors Self-Administer DIY Rape Kits
All around the country, we’re seeing the stark impact Covid-19 has had on victims of intimate and sexual violence
The coronavirus has upended every facet of American life, throwing us into a world of stay-at-home orders, Zoom classes, and masked grocery shopping. And in the same way that local and state governments are finding ways to help their communities through small business loans or remote teaching, authorities need to start considering how Covid-19 is having an outsized impact on violence against women. With domestic violence murders in New York soaring and sexual assault victims left with little medical recourse other than administering their own rape kits overseen by a nurse over Zoom, the country needs a clear and forward-thinking plan about how to deal with issues that already fraught and often under-resourced.
When five centers offering assistance to domestic violence victims closed in New York, the city’s website saw a huge spike in visits by people seeking help.
Services that women once depended on, like shelters and emergency rooms, are not as…
