In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, Georgia State Law's Student Health Law Association (SHLA) and Family Law Society sponsored "Domestic Violence and the Law: How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Way Lawyers Advocate for Victims of Domestic Abuse." Panelists included Annie Jordan, Staff Attorney for the DeKalb Volunteer Lawyers Foundation; Brooke Silverthorn (J.D. '03), Assistant Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Health Law Partnership Legal Services Clinic at Georgia State Law; and Erika Voreh, Safe Families Office Staff Attorney for the Safe and Stable Families Project.
According to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence statistics, one in three women and one in four men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. With COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, there is growing concern among domestic violence advocates over victims being trapped in their homes with their abusers.
"What I didn't realize before this panel was the fact that in addition to the stay-at-home orders, court closures are also causing difficulties for domestic abuse victims," said Baylee Culverhouse (J.D. '21), 3L President of SHLA. "Our panelists pointed out that the number of ex-parte hearings has been restricted due to the pandemic, creating a large backlog of cases in the system."
If you would like to talk to someone about the abuse in your life, please call Georgia’s 24-Hour Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.33.HAVEN (1.800.334.2836) or visit https://gcadv.org/contact-us/.