Google is adding the National Domestic Violence Hotline to search results for related queries in the US. Search will show a box with relevant information and contact number if someone looks up topics related to domestic violence. The box — titled “help is available – speak with someone today” — will contain the voice Hotline (800-799-7233) with a direct link to place a call, as well as direct links to chat services and the official website. Victims can also reach the Hotline over SMS by texting START to 88788.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a “24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year” service. It is available in English and Spanish through bilingual advocates, as well as in 200 other languages through interpreters.
“Finding the right information quickly is essential for survivors, as their window to safely reach out for support may be limited,” said Crystal Justice, Chief External Affairs Officer at The National Domestic Violence Hotline, in a recent blog post. “The Hotline is the only national 24-hour domestic violence hotline providing compassionate support, life-saving resources, and personalized safety planning via phone, online chat, and text”. This integration with Google Search will help victims find help quickly and with less scrolling.
Google Search makes it easier to find domestic violence help
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, more than 12 million people in the US experience domestic violence every year. On average, one in four women (24.3 percent) and one in seven men (13.8 percent) aged 18 and older have been “the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime,” the Hotline reports. Most victims of intimate partner violence are female (four out of five or 80 percent). The majority of female victims were victimized by the same offender repeatedly.
As you can see on the official website here, domestic violence statistics reveal some terrible facts. The risk of relationship abuse has gone up recently as more people are experiencing isolation due to the pandemic. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is now teaming up with Google to make it easier for victims to find help. The Hotline box is appearing in related Search results starting February 1st on mobile apps as well as the web. These include queries like “domestic violence,” “boyfriend hit me,” etc.
“We want to ensure the first resource people see when searching for domestic violence is reliable, helpful information that empowers them to get support as quickly as possible,” said Justice, adding that “the safety of survivors is our primary concern.”
2022-02-03 15:06:05