From finding a missing person to finding out the insurance frauds, the private investigators handle all types of cases. The cases related to domestic violence are no exception to that rule. More often than not, the private investigators of Discreet Investigations Mississauga are contacted for assistance in domestic violence cases.
One of the reasons for this is the difficulty that the prosecutors often face while arguing about the cases in court. As the violence mostly takes place between the members of a family, it becomes difficult for the prosecutor to gather evidence that proves the truth about the abuse in the court.
Domestic violence was quite the normal type of case that the private investigators used to get. However, the ongoing pandemic has changed the scenario of this normal structure.
With the lockdown and the social distancing, the number and the severity of the cases are increasing rapidly. The importance of the work that the private investigators do in the field of domestic violence has thus gained significant importance in the last couple of months.
To understand the situation better, let’s have a look at the impact of the pandemic on domestic violence and the role the private investigators are playing in such matters.
Who Hires Private Investigators for Domestic Violence Cases?
Anyone can hire private investigators to check out the facts of suspected abuse or an ongoing one. Even the victim of the abuse can also get in touch with the private investigators about this matter.
In most cases, the abused person wants to get out of the relationship but does not know how they can do that. This becomes even more common when there are children involved in the relationship. The private investigators of Discreet Investigations Mississauga can help them to find the evidence that they can produce to the court. The private investigators can also be hired by loving relatives to investigate the matter of the elder abuse, violence towards intimate partners and child abuse.
More often than not, the law firms also hire private investigators to gather evidence that can be produced to the court during the legal proceedings.
How Private Investigators Handle Domestic Violence Cases?
Most of the private investigators gather evidence to prove the claim of the victim about the violence. Mostly, the private investigators gather the evidence on behalf of the victim or the lawyer of the victim. However, sometimes the accused person also get in touch with the private investigators of Discreet Investigations Mississauga. In such cases, the private investigators gather evidence that helps to clear the name of the accused.
The private investigators take the same approach that they use to gather evidence for other cases. After hiring, the private investigator can install hidden cameras for surveillance, record conversations or collect the records of injuries.
Also, the private investigators can help the victims to find out whether the accused is using any type of surveillance measure for stalking. The gathered evidence is often turned over to the police or the legal prosecutor for making the case stronger.
Increase In Domestic Violence
With the ongoing pandemic, the government has issued directives about social distancing and lockdown. Abiding by the rule of the government, many workplaces have started offering work from home opportunities as well. While these steps are keeping the virus in check, it is also compelling for people to spend more time at home.
This, along with the other impacts of the pandemic, such as loss of job, wages or changes in employment etc. has escalated the rate of domestic violence. The trend of drinking more alcohol while staying at home is yet another reason for this spike in domestic violence.
One study published in Clinical Medicine has observed a whopping 300% increase in the cases of domestic violence. The number of deaths related to domestic violence has enhanced significantly as well. The comparison study of the number of domestic violence cases this year with the year before has shown how prolific the impact of the current pandemic has on domestic violence.
Not only has that, but the severity of injuries caused by such violence enhanced as well. A study published in the Radiology revealed that the injuries incurred due to domestic violence in 2020 are showing more visceral and central organ damages. This pattern of injuries is an indication of high-risk abuse. The significant spike of such injuries is also showing how dangerously the pandemic is affecting the victims of domestic violence.
The more troubling fact is while the number of incidents and their severity has significantly increased, the victims are reaching out to the health care services in the later stage of abuse. The health care service providers think that the fear of the pandemic is making the victims afraid to go to the hospital even after serious violent episodes like strangulation.
The private investigators of Discreet Investigations Mississauga are not sure whether the enhanced number of domestic violence would bring more work for them. While they know about the enhanced number of events, they have not still seen any additional work. Even though it is not sure whether the trickle-down effect will come in place, there is no doubt that the role of the private investigators in domestic violence cases will become even more important in the coming days.