{"id":8161,"date":"2020-05-06T13:36:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T17:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10028\/uncategorized\/coronavirus-fuels-sexual-assault-spike\/"},"modified":"2020-05-06T13:36:02","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T17:36:02","slug":"coronavirus-fuels-sexual-assault-spike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/article\/coronavirus-fuels-sexual-assault-spike\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus Fuels Sexual Assault Spike"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stay-at-home orders (due to the coronavirus) have contributed to an uptick<\/a><\/u> of valid sexual assault complaints, and advocacy groups are bracing for an even large increase to come.<\/p>\n

Isolation and stress may combine to make a fertile ground for additional assaults, according to one advocacy group.<\/p>\n

Moreover, added RAINN President Scott Berkowitz, \u201cWe are definitely going to be bringing on extra staff and having them work extra shifts as states lift [stay-at-home] restrictions\u201d so we can deal with an uptick in traffic, he added.<\/p>\n

Already, a third of RAINN\u2019s callers reference the coronavirus pandemic as something that is making their situations worse.<\/p>\n

Help is available for survivors<\/a><\/u>, even during a pandemic.<\/p>\n

Resources for Sexual Assault Victims<\/h2>\n

In New York and beyond, stay-at-home orders have increased the traffic on sexual assault hotlines.<\/p>\n

Since many people are sheltering in place with their abusers, it\u2019s important to reach out for help, and it\u2019s also important to cover your tracks if possible.<\/p>\n

Delete the web browsing history or the call history.<\/p>\n

That simple precaution makes it much more difficult for people to track internet and call usage.<\/p>\n

National Sexual Violence Resource Center<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

The NSVRC is not really a hotline, although sexual assault counselors are available.<\/p>\n

This site is more of a resource center for former victims. This site has designated areas for both survivors and friends and family.<\/p>\n

The NSVRC\u2019s library is quite extensive and worth checking out, whether you are a survivor or a loved one.<\/p>\n

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

RAINN, on the other hand, is one of the most widely-used hotlines in America.<\/p>\n

The site has a live chat option as well as a toll-free number.<\/p>\n

Both the phone and online options connect people with local counselors and local resources. If you call or go online after hours, you might experience a delay.<\/p>\n

Victim Connect<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

This site lists step-by-step what survivors should do and how they should respond to a sexual assault.<\/p>\n

Your Legal Options<\/h2>\n

Survivors should think about obtaining restraining orders. These orders give survivors the space they need to contemplate their next moves.<\/p>\n

Generally, judges sign ex parte restraining orders based on the survivor\u2019s affidavit.<\/p>\n

These orders usually direct the abuser to avoid all contact with the survivor.<\/p>\n

Even if the court is closed for COVID-19, judges are available for emergency matters, such as ex parte protective orders.<\/p>\n

About two weeks later, the judge usually holds a full hearing. Since the judge hears from both the abuser and the survivor, effective representation is usually critical at these hearings.<\/p>\n

In addition to personal protection orders, judges usually issue a number of other orders.<\/p>\n

Abusers must typically avoid certain places, like a daycare or school, surrender their firearms, pay financial restitution, and attend anger management or other self-improvement classes.<\/p>\n

At this hearing, the survivor must establish the need for a protective order by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s different from establishing a sexual assault.<\/p>\n

Survivors must only prove that, if the judge does not extend the order, their safety is in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

Third Party Liability<\/h2>\n

Once quarantines end, droves of people might flock to bars, restaurants, and other such places.<\/p>\n

If that happens, security measures at these places might get overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

A burned out-light or a tiny lack of security is all it takes to embolden an evildoer.<\/p>\n

If a sexual assault occurs at such a place under such circumstances, the bar, restaurant, or other owner could be legally responsible for the incident.<\/p>\n

The same is true of other premises liability matters, such as falls and animal attacks.<\/p>\n

To obtain compensation, the victim\/plaintiff must prove the owner knew or should have known about the hazard, and that the incident was a foreseeable result of the hazard.<\/p>\n

Evidence of foreseeability includes prior similar incidents in the area and prior similar incidents at that location.<\/p>\n

More is at stake than financial compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.<\/p>\n

In these situations, justice is usually more important than compensation. If no one sounds the alarm, other people might be victimized in the same way.<\/p>\n

Sexual assault victims have multiple legal options. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in New York<\/a><\/u>, contact Napoli Shkolnik . The sooner you call, the sooner we start fighting for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stay-at-home orders (due to the coronavirus) have contributed to an uptick of valid sexual assault complaints, and advocacy groups are bracing for an even large increase to come. Isolation and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[792],"tags":[993,818,851,947,964,971,992],"class_list":["post-8161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-sexual-harassment-lawyer","tag-personal-injury-lawyers-near-me","tag-sexual-abuse","tag-personal-injury","tag-health-and-safety","tag-coronavirus"],"acf":[],"page_builder_type":"gutenberg","gutenberg_data":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/napolilaw.lemonadestand.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}