Incidences of violence against intimate partners have risen dramatically since Texas’ governor implemented stay-at-home orders in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, a Tarrant County Social Worker said.
In fact, more spouses, friends or former lovers have died at the hands of their partners since the onset of the pandemic as previously have died over an entire year, said Carmen Charles, program director at SafeHaven of Tarrant County, a domestic violence service provider.
“Our intimate partner violence homicides I want to say, is like 12, since March in Tarrant County,” Charles, a Social Worker, said.
“We’ve seen less in a year,” she said. “It’s scary to think of what’s not being reported to us.”
Charles is among five Social Workers who were part of an online panel discussion titled “Covid-19, Diversity and Social Work Practices” that was hosted by the UTA School of Social Work and broadcast live July 10 on the School’s Facebook and YouTube platforms.
To watch a recording of the panel discussion on Facebook, go to the School of Social Work’s page at FB.com/UTASocialWork.
The discussion was the second in a series of conversations hosted by the UTA School of Social Work to bring awareness to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on race relations, healthcare disparities and other social issues.
The inaugural discussion was held June 25. The final discussion in the three-part series was a community-wide, town-hall-styled event which was broadcast live at 2 p.m., July 16, on the same digital platforms.
The COVID-19 pandemic – and its accompanying government-directed, stay-home orders have led to deadly consequences for some Social Workers’ clients and for others in Tarrant County. The pandemic also has impacted Social Workers’ work practices, they said.
“It’s been difficult,” says Adrienne Johnson, a Social Worker in the Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas County.
“Traumas are up. Suicides are up. Overdoses are up,” she said. “It’s just been a lot.”
Aside from Johnson and Charles, the panel included Social Workers Michelle Young, who works at UTA’s Center for Addiction and Recovery Services; Cris Hinojosa of John Peter Smith Health Network in Fort Worth; and Dawnetta Smith, an assistant dean for field education at UTA.
Social Work Assistant Professors Rachel Voth Schrag, Tracy Orwig and Marcela Nava also were part of the panel committee.
