The Importance of Protection Orders: Do They Work?
Intimate Partner Violence is where an abuser uses the power of control over his victim who are in an intimate relationship (Gosselin, 2014, p.188). Intervention strategies have been created to deter abuse. One major aid to intimate partner violence are the police officers whose duties are to enforce “domestic violence laws and provisions of a protection order” which include mandatory and proarrest polies along with warrant exceptions (Gosselin, 2014, p.268,277,281). On the other hand, we have court judges who oversee the process of signing off a restraining order for a survivor of domestic violence. According to Hathway, Mucci, Silverman, Brooks, Matthews, & Pavlos (2000), they reported that
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To some extent, protective orders seem to work. However, there are always fatal consequences to those who decide to take legal action. Women, in particular, who decide to end their relationship with their husbands or partner maybe at risk of encountering sexual and physical assault, stalking, or homicide from the person they are leaving (Dobash, Cavanagh, & Medina-Ariza, (2007); Kurz, 1996). It is wise to leave their abuser, but it comes with a cost. According to Kurz (1996), she states that even after women leave their spouse; the fear of violence leaves the women of giving up child support or compromise on the amount. Court officials need to regard the safety of women who go to the court justice system for protection orders. These women experience stalking, threats, emotional terror, and physical injury. Every case needs to be taken cautiously in fear of might becoming an actual threat; the severity of having too many fatalities. Domestic violence advocates should remind survivors of what to do if the offender violates the protection order. All the people involved need to continue forward and keep in mind that they are making a difference in a person’s life; even if a protective