Domestic abuse on the rise as the economy falters

Calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline have shot up during the recession, says spokeswoman Retha Fielding. For example, there were 21 percent more calls in September than in September 2007. When the stock market plunged in October, there were 18 percent more calls than in October 2007.
“And we hear more and more about money. ‘We’re about to lose the house, my husband lost his job.’ “ Domestic violence is about power and control, Fielding says, “so if an abuser loses control of one part of his life, he’s going to try harder to get control at home.”
And concern is rising about possibly higher rates of child abuse, which increases in tough economic times, though national statistics lag a few years behind.
Unemployment and financial problems create stress, “and we know they’re contributing factors. The more stress factors a family has, the more likely you are to have child abuse and neglect,” says Theresa Costello, director of the government-funded National Resource Center for Child Protective Services.

Link: http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090202/ARTICLES/902029927/1008?Title=Economy_holds_families_hostage