Google to Add Hotline for Domestic Violence Cases on Search Results

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 02 February 2022, 10:02 am

Google is set to launch a new feature to help survivors of domestic violence searching for help. The survivors will have easier access to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Google to Add Domestic Violence Hotline in Results

Starting Feb. 8, users in the United States will see information related to domestic violence in search results, according to CNET.

Users will see a box at the top of the search results, and it will show the phone number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It will also have direct access to the phone and chat services of the hotline.

The chief external affairs officer for the hotline, Crystal Justice, wrote in a Google blog post that the new feature would help domestic violence survivors, especially those in crisis, get the information and connections to the support that they need and with less scrolling.

The hotline is available 24/7, and the number is 1-800-799-7233.

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According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline data, domestic violence in the U.S. affects more than 12 million people.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is the only domestic violence hotline available 24/7 in the country. It provides compassionate support personalized safety planning through phone, online chat, text, and it also offers life-saving resources.

The hotline's mission is to answer the call for support and give power back to survivors of relationship abuse, according to The Verge.

Lifeline Added to Google Search Results

This is not the first time that Google has teamed up with a national association to help at-risk communities get fast access to help and resources.

The search engine partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and also added the contact information for the lifeline at the top of Google search results when users look for related information. The number is 1-800-273-8255.

Google stated that it also surfaces resources for other crises such as drug addiction and sexual assaults, and the resources are added to the search results.

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is one of the several suicide and crisis intervention hotlines available to call or text when someone needs help.

In 2010, Google started displaying the hotline for the American Association of Poison Control Centers, or AAPCC, after searches for poison or poison emergency. This is after a Google user made the suggestion.

According to ABC News, the search engine giant received a comment from a mother who said that she Googled for the number of the Poison Control Center after her child accidentally swallowed something that she thought was poisonous. However, it took her a while to find the emergency number that she needed.

The complaint from the mother had Google thinking about the situation, and they thought it was best to add the emergency number so that at the time of an emergency, the information is readily available.

After adding the poison emergency feature, with the phone number of 1-800-222-1222, Google began thinking about other health emergencies they could add to the searches.

Google then reached out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and listed the queries that would prompt the lifeline for information.

The search engine constantly updates the search results. In 2015, Google added the Buy Button to the search results.

In 2021, Google search put a notice on its results, so users can know if the source is reliable.