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Not Above the Law

What a police department’s domestic violence policy can tell you | Abusers understand power and control. And when the abuser is a police officer, those power and co... read more
Ask Amanda: How Do I Co-Parent with an Abuser?

Ideas to help ease the stress and anxiety | Q: How do I co-parent with an abuser? It’s causing me anxiety and panic attacks. – Theresa B. A: Co-parenting can b... read more
How U Visas Help Immigrant Victims of Domestic Abuse

The hope is to bring survivors out of the shadows, say advocates | Many survivors of domestic violence hesitate to report their abusers because of embarrassment, fi... read more
Ask Amanda: Restraining versus Protection Orders

What to do if a court denies your request for an order | Q: What is the difference between a restraining order and an order of protection? And what do you do if you’re... read more
How Police Are Trained to Respond to Domestic Violence

The protocols for responding to domestic violence can help survivors know what to expect | Domestic violence has been found to constitute the single largest cat... read more
Children Used as Pawns in Court

How abusers put survivors on defensive with deceptive custody strategy | You’ve heard it before: “Don’t mess with a mama bear.” Nothing stirs the protective instinc... read more
Ask Amanda: Bench Trial vs Jury Trial?

Which is better depends on a number of factors | Q: My trial is coming up for the criminal charges against my abuser/husband. I found out today it's a bench trial. ... read more
When Survivors Encounter Discrimination

Police bias may be discouraging survivors from reporting abuse | When we call 911, we expect someone to come to our aid. But a recent report published by the ACLU s... read more
Protecting Protection Orders

Another source helps to ensure protection orders are recognized | As soon as this story is posted on DomesticShelters.org and its social channels, we know what will... read more
Ask Amanda: How Can I Get Police to Take Action?

When it comes to protection order violations, expert provides advice | Q: Why is it so hard to get the police to take action when the no contact part of a protectio... read more
One Judge's Take on the Challenges of Family Court

Survivors need more resources, representation, she says | Judge Katherine Tennyson has an intimidating voice over the phone. This is the type of woman who cuts righ... read more
Representing Yourself in Court

How to prepare for your permanent protection order hearing | If you’re planning to go to court to secure a permanent order of protection against your batterer, the ... read more
Threatened Not to Testify

When abusers threaten survivors from telling their account in court, it’s considered witness tampering | Batterers are not always career criminals like the drug dea... read more
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
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