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Conflicts
“Many families are going through a difficult time”: In 2020, domestic violence increased again for the first time in a long time in the canton of St. Gallen.
For the first time in ten years, the canton has seen an increase in police interventions at home. The home office, homeschooling, and financial worries increase the potential for conflict.
Domestic violence increased in 2020.
In the year of the 2020 pandemic, the police had to go to families 1,185 times. 660 of these missions were due to escalating conflicts that began with verbal insults, yelling, and mild psychological violence. The police intervened in 136 cases of mutual assault. And in 389 interventions, the police had to act against the violence of a family member.
While the canton of St. Gallen police reported a higher number of domestic violence crimes, annual statistics from the Office for the Coordination of Domestic Violence also recorded an increase. “However, not to the same extent, since several crimes can be reported by police operation,” said a press release from the canton. The number of people seeking victim support counseling or seeking protection at the women’s shelter has also increased.
Counseling services are used very well
The SG-AR-AI Victim Assistance, the Counseling Center for Perpetrators and the St. Gallen Women’s Shelter remained open throughout the pandemic. All offers report a higher occupancy rate than in previous years. Both the police and the counseling service report that risk factors for escalating conflict and violence are becoming increasingly apparent. The canton notification says:
“Those affected report lack of money and cramped living conditions and the difficulty of staying together in the home office for a long period of time and sometimes in homeschooling.”
Miriam Reber, head of the Domestic Violence Coordination Office.
It is noteworthy that the increase did not occur until the second half of the year, says Miriam Reber, head of the cantonal coordination of intrafamily violence. “At the first lockdown in spring, a decrease was measured.” In the summer, the rush to get to the counseling centers increased considerably. One possible explanation for this is that many had to vacation home this year, Reber says. A change of scenery was missing, which may have led those affected to grapple with their problems.
Starting in the fall, the number of police operations also increased. “Many families experience tough times with the home office, homeschooling, short-term work, or even unemployment,” Reber says. It escalates faster than under normal circumstances. This year, a remarkably high number of children and their mothers found refuge in the women’s shelter.
Conflicts that escalated verbally have increased compared to previous years (see graph above). Did neighbors call the police more often because they were more likely to have noticed arguments in the office next door? That’s part of the explanation, Reber says. The number of concerned neighbors who have reported to the police has also increased.
Contact and approach bans in case of stalking
Since July 2020, the police have been able to impose a contact ban, approach and / or zone ban in the event of domestic violence and stalking. This makes it possible to better protect the person affected by the violence, even with separate apartments. The canton has registered 14 such cases this year. Additionally, eviction from the shared apartment may be supplemented by a district ban and / or a contact and approach ban. These bans were issued in 19 cases.
