violence at home are reporting dramatic increases in calls since public health measures aimed at fighting the spread of COVID-19 came into effect last spring.The urgency and severity of many callers’ situations have also intensified, said Angela MacDougall, the executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services based in Vancouver.“What women are saying is that it’s like a pressure cooker in the house and there isn’t a valve,” she said in an interview.The United Nations has called violence against women and girls a “shadow pandemic” as the COVID-’19 crisis fuels social isolation and tensions caused by concerns over health, safety and financial security.