Legal

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  Can I Get a Protection Order if I'm Under 18?

  How to get one varies state-to-state, but the bottom line is yes, you can | No age group is immune to domestic violence. In fact, teens and young women ages 16-24 a... read more

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  Protections for Undocumented Immigrants

  Abusers often threaten deportation, but VAWA was designed to safeguard all survivors | There is a sect of women, survivors of domestic violence, who are facing an o... read more

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  Looking for a Lawyer?

  Advice for finding the right attorney for you and your case | If your experience with domestic violence creates a need to obtain a lawyer, it's important to take the ... read more

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  How Anti-SLAPP Laws Work

  What to do if your abuser threatens to sue you for defamation if you report domestic violence | Batterers are master manipulators who know and use all kinds of tech... read more

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  FAQs About Protection Orders

  Breaking down the basics | Whether it’s called an order of protection, protection order or restraining order, each state offers some version as a means of protectio... read more

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  What Happens When Someone Violates a Court Order?

  What you can expect to happen if your batterer breaks a restraining order | Ideally, an order of protection—commonly referred to as a restraining order—would keep a... read more

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  How to Prove Nonphysical Abuse in Court

  Steps you can take before you enter the courtroom | When trying to prove domestic violence in court, some survivors wear the evidence on their skin in the form of b... read more

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  Domestic Violence From an Officer's Perspective

  One former officer is training law enforcement around the world how to earn the trust of survivors | After surviving a childhood of domestic violence, Mark Wynn’s l... read more

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  Legal Assistance Hotlines Coming of Age

  Survivors cite legal support as critical unmet need | The court system can be overwhelming in even the most simple of circumstances, let alone one involving sexual ... read more

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  Do Protective Orders Work in Rural Areas?

  Study examines effectiveness of protective orders in urban and rural settings | Domestic violence happens everywhere—in single-family homes and apartments, in the n... read more

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  Using GPS to Track Batterers

  At least 23 states are using GPS to keep track of high-risk domestic violence offenders | Diane Rosenfeld believes many domestic violence homicides are preventable.... read more

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  What to Do If an Abuser Violates a Personal Protection Order

  3 steps you need to take | Personal protection orders are important documents that can help protect you and your family. Unfortunately, they’re not always adhered t... read more

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  Why You Should Document Abuse

  Your records may be allowed as evidence in court | Keeping a diary of domestic violence incidents—both physical and non-physical—may seem like the last type of reco... read more

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  Many Survivors Fearful to File Restraining Orders

  Debate continues as to whether or not they’re too easy, or too difficult, to obtain | “It’s just a piece of paper.” Many survivors of domestic violence are still unde... read more

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  Is There Free Online Legal Advice for Survivors?

  Yes! Navigating the system is tricky, but many websites offer free, helpful advice | When a survivor of domestic violence is ready to leave their abuser, press char... read more