A Letter from the Editors

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the global community to navigate uncharted waters. It has tested the systems we have to care for one another, connect with our loved ones, and learn about the world. While many of the stories of coronavirus are sad, there too are happy stories, of families united under the same roof for the first time in a long time, of communities organizing to buy groceries for the elderly, and of the homemade crafts hand-delivered from the kids next door.

As we adjust to a new normal, many of us safe within the warm confines of our homes, our thoughts go out to those who aren’t safe as they shelter in place. Born out of this concern, the Covid-19 Task Force on Domestic Violence aims to understand the effect of this challenging time on domestic abuse and advocate for policy change that better supports survivors.

This series of articles represents the outputs of our data team, the in-house research arm of the organization. Our hope is to better quantify the burden of Covid-19 on survivors by looking at changes in search engine volume, law enforcement reports, and website traffic, all while harnessing the insights of those working on the ground. We are committed to providing timely, high-quality research and to making it accessible to those of all backgrounds. Our plan is to leverage these findings for policy change.

We are grateful for the support of the entire Covid-19 Task Force on Domestic Violence and our outstanding advisors across institutions, disciplines, and geographies.

We will update this series with new information as it becomes available.

— Anant Pai & Sylvie Stoloff on behalf of the Task Force Data Team

Data and Research Team Leads

Covid19 Task Force on Domestic Violence