Cecile Noel has a monumental task when the COVID lockdown began:  how do you protect victims of domestic and gender-based violence from a distance?  Shelters that were open were at capacity.

People living in those shelters were also locked down and not able to leave. Survivors were trapped in their homes with their abusers and not able to phone hotlines or go online to seek help.  They were never alone.

But the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based violence had to let survivors know there was still help available. 

Commissioner Noel joined In Focus to talk about how the agency had to pivot to a remote resource for anyone who needed their services. Hotline call numbers were dropping, and she said they knew it was because survivors were not able to call.

She talked about what the agency was able to do from a distance, and what they’re doing now that numbers are spiking again.

She also talked about new initiatives that will protect survivors online, providing security with Norton Lifelock that will keep their abusers from being able to track them, and another initiative with T-Mobile that will provide free mobile phones, along with inexpensive service, so that survivors can reach out any time they need help. 

Finally, Noel addressed the urgency of the Senate passing the Violence Against Women Act, which will provide much-needed funding for the kinds of initiatives they need to keep survivors safe.