Presidential race causes spike in crisis center calls

• The spike in calls began in June, when hotline centers began receiving more suicide-assessment calls.
• National nonprofits and organizations are not permitted to comment on the presidential election.
• Experts say it's unsurprising that negative language used by candidates would prompt such a response.

Crisis hotlines haven’t fielded this many calls since the weeks just after 9/11.

In June, about the time it became clear Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would be their parties' presidential nominees, phone banks in Delaware and across America started to ring more often.

Since then, Delaware hotlines have seen a 42 percent increase in hotline calls over the last four months compared with 2015. In September alone, calls increased from eight to 23 in one year, with national hotlines reporting a similar spike.

In the weekend following the release of Trump’s comments about how he comes onto women, the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 33 percent increase in calls, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

“Our hotline staff started to see an increase in calls and doubled our staff for the weekend shifts,” said Brian Pinero, RAINN’s vice president for victim services. “There were times when there were 20 to 30 people in our (call) queue.”

The organization also saw a 45 percent increase in website traffic.

Those who work with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence say the derogatory language and depictions of sexual assault that flooded the airwaves and social media triggered an emotional relapse in many victims.

"We used to think that talking about it always made it better, but after 9/11 we learned that constant re-exposure can be problematic," said Mariann Kenville-Moore, director of advocacy for the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

When actor and comedian Bill Cosby was accused of drugging and raping dozens of women, domestic violence and sexual assault groups saw a similar response, she said. While some offered support for the women coming forward, others asked why they would take drugs and accused them of wanting attention.

"We saw that reaction of blaming (the victim) and then they (survivors) personally replay their victimization," Kenville-Moore said. "Hearing this can cause them to re-experience their trauma."

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In an election season that has put domestic violence and sexual assault on prominent display, survivors say Trump's comments have shown how he will handle larger issues. Many say his language described sexual assault, while Trump chalked it up to “locker room talk,” apologizing if he offended anyone but noting that others have said much worse. The candidate said he has respect for women and that the firestorm of controversy is being fueled by the media.

“To my abuser, I was just a thing that he owned,” said 28-year-old Amanda Burgess. “Trump has the same kind of thinking. He’s not the president, and he already has women coming forward and accusing him of sexual assault. America shouldn’t want that image to represent the country.”

The Pew Research Center released data in September showing that voter satisfaction with the choice of presidential candidates — which was already at a two-decade low — had declined even further. The decline was steep, falling from 40 percent “fairly/very satisfied” to 33 percent.

People also reported feeling frustrated, disgusted or scared by the election, with 43 percent citing fear as the final weeks of the election play out, according to the Pew data. These feelings have continued to grow in the past few months, the data shows.

At crisis hotline centers, calls requiring suicide assessments for American citizens speak for themselves.

“The hopelessness that we hear in survivors that are calling our hotlines," said Nancy McGee, a coordinator for both the Sexual Assault Network of Delaware and ContactLifeline. "Even individuals have been calling me long after we ever needed to have contact are saying, 'I can't really see the point in things anymore.'"

She paused, before continuing.

“The depression that we're dealing with is mounting quickly.”

Crisis hotlines and coalitions against sexual assault and domestic violence are not permitted by law to comment on the presidential election because of strict requirements surrounding the federal dollars they receive.

Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as those who work with victims, say Trump's words are language some women hear every day, language that reminds them of their assault and forces them to face it again and defend the actions taken against them.

“I have a little sister who is 11, and I am so scared that she and the rest of young girls are going to think that they are just property for men,” Burgess said. “I don’t want anyone to think that about themselves.”

Caren Bloom-Steidle, an attorney and senior lecturer in criminology at Penn State, isn’t surprised by the increase in calls.

When domestic violence and sexual assault appear on a national platform and people actually come out and say it’s unacceptable, an environment is created for women and men affected by these situations to come forward, she said.

“The beauty of this is that we're talking about rape culture,” said Bloom-Steidle, who teaches a class on domestic violence and sexual assault. “When somebody makes a (supportive) statement, women suddenly feel safer to come forward. It’s like they never were allowed to think it’s wrong before now. But it is wrong and it feels wrong, but you don't feel like you can say anything.”

“Hearing (these comments) and then hearing people say it’s not OK is really important for survivors,” she said.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.

In Delaware, 75 percent of all domestic violence victims in 2014 and 2015 were women, according to statistics from the Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. These acts of violence against them come in the form of assaults, rape, threats and emotional abuse and vary in frequency and severity.

Sexual assault numbers are also alarmingly high nationwide, with organizations estimating between 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

And the stigma of “locker room talk” associated with Trump’s comments furthers an environment that allows sexual assault to thrive, Bloom-Steidle said.

“If the talk was just talk and it never really happens, then why do you have 20 percent of women being raped?” she said. “That kind of entitlement when talking about women and their bodies is what allows sexual assault to happen. The language leads to the action. It’s not a disconnect.”

Police departments across the state say domestic-related reports top their charts in the number of calls for service. In New Castle County alone, seven women have died from domestic violence this year, two in Wilmington.

It’s only when these stories end in murders that they make headlines, advocates say. Court documents typically depict long histories of abuse against a victim, protection from abuse orders and other attempts to get a victim the help they need.

Money, support and trust that help exists often serve as barriers for victims. And comments like Trump’s tell many women that their abuse and assault will not be taken seriously, said Delilah Rumburg, chief executive officer of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

“Every conversation that conveys disrespectful attitudes or encourages illegal acts, even in private, continues to foster a culture where sexual assault is normalized and puts people at risk,” Rumburg said in a statement, noting that the label of “locker room talk” discredits other men.

“Because when we passively stand by and allow others to talk about committing crimes, or even joke about assault, we allow sexual violence to thrive,” she said. “We can do better.”

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The Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence has a project in place to help reach and empower men to look beyond what it means to "be a man." Delaware MEN, short for Men's Education Network, works with local men and boys, specifically at the college level, to change perceptions and change norms associated with traditional masculinity, said Sue Ryan, executive director of the Coalition.

The goal is to help men be more active bystanders in potentially dangerous situations and change the language and expectations associated with masculinity and how men treat women, Ryan said.

"I don't think people recognize domestic violence to the level they should," she said. "There's a lot of women who are victims of financial control, emotional control, reproductive control ... and they've never experienced a black eye. But they are a victim of domestic violence."

"It's not a woman's problem. It's not a man's problem. It's not a relationship problem," Ryan added. "It's a community concern. ... Domestic violence is about power, control and entitlement. It's rooted in sexism and poverty and racism, and it doesn't help to blame the victim of violence."

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 orbhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.

For help

Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline: (302) 762-6110

Rape Crisis Hotline: (800) 773-8570

Mobile Crisis Unit: (800) 652-2929

Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence: (800) 701-0456

Sexual Assault Network of Delaware: (302) 761-9800, ext. 1003

National Sexual Assault Hotline: (800) 656-4673

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255