Being locked down with your family can definitely be tough, but in some cases, family grievances are escalating and even turning violent. In a recent incident, a 26-year-old man in California allegedly punched his mother for hiding toilet paper from him, authorities say.
Adrian Yan was arrested and charged with battery on Monday after an argument with his mother over toilet paper escalated. The situation turned into a physical confrontation at the family's house in Saugus, Los Angeles County. Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Shirley Miller told BuzzFeed News that Yan wanted toilet paper and got upset because his mother was hiding it. Apparently, she felt Yan was using too much toilet paper, Miller said.
It's a startling occurrence, but reports of violence have gone up as families, loved ones, and friends stay isolated in closed quarters for extended periods of time. For many, the COVID-19 lockdown has become not just an unpleasant inconvenience but a troubling and even scary situation.
For most of us, staying home for extended periods of time can be pretty tough. Our lives have all changed in major ways. We can't run out any time we want to grab things we need from the grocery store. We can't meet up with friends or go out on dates. It's definitely tough, but for some people, staying home has created urgent issues.
Rates of domestic violence and family disturbances are up in a major way, reports say. That's not just in certain areas, but globally, the New York Times reports. It's no surprise that women are primarily the victims of those assaults.
As this incident over toilet paper shows, being in close quarters can be dangerous. In this case, the situation unfolded when the son accused his mother of hiding the toilet paper. She said he was using too much. Then he allegedly punched her in the face. After that, the mom placed a private person's arrest on him.
A call came in to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, and authorities responded. They showed up at the residence at 3 a.m. on Monday and arrested Yan. His mother's injuries were not serious, and she declined any medical attention, spokesperson Shirley Miller said.
It sounds like an outrageous situation. However, these kinds of things are happening at much higher rates in the current state of affairs all over the world.
"People are cooped up together and getting on each other's nerves," Miller said about the uptick in domestic violence.
This is certainly one of the most shocking stories we've seen because of how the fight began. “This is the first arrest I’ve heard of that started out over an argument over toilet paper,” Miller said. Still, it's likely that many arguments that start over something small and turn violent go unreported.
Various groups have begun organizing to help people who live with abusers so that they can get the help they need during the pandemic. It's an incredibly tough situation, though, because many people can't call for help because their abuser is always close by. That's why we're hearing about things like women using code words at pharmacies in order to discreetly ask for help.
Still, emotions are running high for so many reasons. We're likely to see more spikes in domestic violence in the coming weeks as the lockdown continues. And with many women being unable or too afraid to call the police if things do escalate, victims are more vulnerable than ever.
In the UK, Refuge, that nation's largest domestic abuse charity, is taking action. "We know that ordinarily, the window of opportunity for women with abusive partners to make a call and seek help is often very limited," said Sandra Horley, the chief executive. "Now, it is likely that window has become even smaller."
The charity is telling women to use the "Silent Solution" emergency call, which allows people to reach the police without the need to speak. Refuge has also put in place a tech abuse chatbot.
Hopefully, we will see some of these measures begin taking place globally. For those in abusive situations, getting help is already challenging. The global pandemic makes it even harder with women struggling to leave the house or even make a phone call.
