In the midst of a severe gun violence crisis, city officials said that so far this year, the rate of domestic homicide in Philadelphia has soared by more than 100%.

In a bi-weekly gun violence briefing, city officials said that so far there have been 19 domestic homicides in the city, an increase of 138% from the total number of reported cases last year.

The chief inspector of the Philadelphia Police Department, Altovis Love Craighead, said the city has surpassed 18 domestic homicides last year.

At the press conference last week on April 28, Mayor Jim Kenney said Domestic violence homicides have risen by 100%, which means that the crime rate has risen by 34% in just two weeks.

The economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may be one of the reasons for this surge. Report on Temple University’s findings. The study claims that the pandemic has exacerbated poverty, unemployment, and structural racism, which are “experiencedly linked” to violence in Philadelphia.

Officials say the pandemic has also affected Philadelphia’s usual publicity efforts.

“Community participation is an important part of successful community policing,” Ecraig Head says. “Unfortunately, COVID imposes a lot of restrictions on how we interact with the community.”

The Philadelphia Police Department held a series of webinars on domestic violence in March, which received more than 20,000 views. WHYY report. Police officials said that as the city’s restrictions are relaxed, they will increase outreach efforts in response to shocking violent incidents.

PPD works with organizations to prevent abuse of women to provide officials with trauma coping training and how to help victims of sexual assault.

The rise in domestic violence is not unique to Philadelphia. Global surveys show that since the beginning of 2020, domestic violence has increased sharply. report time. According to data from the City of San Antonio, the incidence of domestic violence in San Antonio has risen by 18%, and in Portland, Oregon, it has risen by 22%. American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

“The data shows that there is a close relationship between work stoppages and increased violence. This is a problem encountered in many major cities across the country,” Love-Craighead says.

The news came on the occasion of a surge in gun violence in Philadelphia for the second year in a row. This year’s shootings have risen by 41%, and the overall number of homicides is 34% higher than last year’s already high number.

By 2020, 499 homicides, Most of them are shooting-related deaths.

Domestic violence resources:

Philadelphia’s toll-free domestic violence hotline: call 866-723-3014.

The Law Center for the Prohibition of Abuse of Women: 215-686-7082. They provide help to prevent abuse orders and child support.

Crisis text line: send the main text to 741741

National Parent Hotline: Call 1-855-427-2736

National Child Abuse Hotline : Call 1-800-422-4453)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: Text LOVEIS to 22522, or call 1-800-799-7233

Futures without violence