Luis Montgomery, with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, says abuse can take different forms.
“When we think of domestic violence, we think of the physical abuse, you know, the black eyes,” Montgomery said. “But what I think people don't necessarily realize is that there can be things such as financial abuse. And more often than not, if there is physical abuse, there's going to be mental abuse as well.”
Montgomery encourages family and friends of potential victims to pay attention to the signs of abuse.
“The things you can look for is maybe someone that is changing their mood, [or has] a series of mood swings or seems to be a little emotionally on edge or easily triggered,” he said.
Incidents of domestic violence rose during the pandemic, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“I think it is safe to say that those same increases and those same rates are happening during the holidays,” Montgomery said. “When you are taking someone who otherwise has a job to go to and the children have a place to go during the day, it's taking them away from that environment, at least temporarily.”
Stressful gatherings among extended family members can also erupt into altercations. Montgomery suggests going into these events with a plan in place.
“For the sake of the holidays, I think that it would probably be best if certain discussions or certain topics that may be triggering to someone, that would kind of increase the situation, I think maybe avoiding those topics,” he said. “The best advice would be to just be proactive and be preventable in that situation by just removing yourself from it.”
Sarah Bradley is the program director for Catholic Charities in Jackson, an organization that runs a shelter for victims of domestic violence. She says the shelter typically sees an uptick of calls during the holidays -- but this year is different.
“Usually in the past few years, we've been full or at capacity during this time of the year,” Bradley said. “And this particular year we have not had an influx.”
Bradley attributes this decrease to victims having more help during the holidays.
“More individuals seeking family members to spend a holiday with or just having more options such as family members or close friends or church members,” she said.
Many family members of victims offer them money to stay in hotels. Bradley says this can be a costly, short-term solution.
“The holiday season can be frustrating and stressful and that brings about tension through family members, especially when it's the holiday season because money is involved,” she said. “And if they're in a situation just know that [our] services are here.”
If you or someone you know is in need of emergency domestic violence services, Catholic Charities of Jackson can be reached at their 24-hour crisis helpline at 1-800-273-6938 or 601-442-0142.
