Legal Help for Domestic Violence Victims

WomensLaw is the first and only free, legal resource for survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking that offers safety and legal information and resources in “plain language” in both English and Spanish. We are dedicated to empowering survivors and their advocates to make informed decisions about their options, safety, and legal remedies. 

From August 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019, 482,232 people accessed the life-saving information that is housed on WomensLaw.org.

In the past three months (August 2019 through October 2019), we worked directly with 1,428 victims, survivors, and their friends, advocates, or family members through our Email Hotline. This unique hotline offers victims a direct line to ask a question of our attorneys and volunteers, who specialize in domestic violence and the law. We answer every request as quickly as possible with a thoughtful response that includes individualized resources and information. We frequently correspond several times with the women and men who write in, and many express their gratitude for our assistance and support. We also hear from the advocates providing direct services to victims who use WomensLaw.org to support their clients. Some responses we have received over the Email Hotline are below:

“Thank you so, so, so very much for your help!!!!! It is priceless!!! The time & energy & effort you have given to help [us] is just so very much appreciated. You have answered all my questions with compassion, understanding, intelligence & diligence. I cannot thank you enough!!!!” (WomensLaw Email Hotline response, August 2019) 

And:

“Your email was the most informative one I’ve gotten back after all the ones I sent out. I really truly appreciate you time. Thank you!” (WomensLaw Email Hotline response, October 2019) 

We answer questions and provide our expertise on a wide range of topics–including custody, divorce, relocation, and more. Often, victims or their loved ones are writing in to get some basic legal information about their situation when they cannot find legal representation. Although we do not provide legal advice, we can explain relevant laws that may help the victim to make an informed decision.

It is especially rewarding when someone writes in to help a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse and our answer is able to provide information and resources that may help the writer support their loved one. Here is one such reply that we received on the Email Hotline:

“Thanks so much for this very helpful information, especially links to additional resources. I'll pass it on to my sister so she can begin to decide about possible next steps.

“I'm especially grateful that I can at least provide her with useful information. I've seen her suffer through a very difficult life. Obviously there is much to consider, including what pursuing this might mean emotionally and psychologically for her and how it could affect her relationship with her husband (she is newly married to a WONDERFUL man) and her adult children. Thanks again. I'm so glad I found WomensLaw.” (WomensLaw Email Hotline response, August 2019)

We are constantly updating our website (http://www.WomensLaw.org) – making changes and additions daily. Our priority is to make sure that our legal information is current with changes in the laws while continuing to add new information that would be useful for victims and survivors of abuse. Between August 1, 2019, and October 31, 2019, we made hundreds of updates, such as:

• On our Georgia Crimes page, we updated the name of the crime that was formerly called “sexual assault” and is now called “improper sexual contact” based on a 2019 change to the law. Changes made in English and Spanish.
• Based on a 2019 addition to Georgia’s laws, we added information in English and Spanish to our Georgia Custody page. Specifically, we added that blindness cannot be the reason that custody can is denied to a parent to the question How Will a Judge Make a Decision about Custody? 
• We revised the content in the Ways to Educate Yourself section in English and Spanish. We also relocated it to our Court System Basics section to make it easier to find.
• We added a District of Columbia Extreme Risk Protection Orders page in English and 5 corresponding statutes to the Selected District of Columbia Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!
• Based on July 2019 changes to the law, we updated multiple questions in our Indiana Orders for Protection (due to Domestic Violence) page. We included new grounds for which a child can get an order to multiple questions; we re-wrote the question called Can I Get an Order for Protection If I’m a Minor?; and we added a new question called Aside from Domestic or Family Violence, What are the Other Reasons for Which I Can Get an Order for Protection? to include the new ground of harassment as the basis for an order. 
• We translated into Spanish our newly updated question Who Can Get Custody? in our New Jersey Custody page. 
• We translated into Spanish the new question How Does an Abuser Give Up His/Her Guns and Ammunition? and the other two updated questions in our Colorado State Gun Laws page. 
• Based on 2019 changes to the laws, in our Illinois Orders of Protection section, we updated Who is Eligible for an Order of Protection? to add information on the additional people who can be protected by an order. We also updated multiple questions in our Illinois Stalking No Contact Orders section to include that an authorized agent of a school, workplace, or house of worship can file for an order. All changes were made in English and Spanish. 
• We added a Litigation Abuse page in our About Abuse section in English and Spanish.
• We translated into Spanish our recently created District of Columbia Extreme Risk Protection Orders page.
• We added a new section about Orders of Protection for Adults with Disabilities to our Illinois Restraining Orders page. Spanish coming soon!
• We added information on our Ohio Suing An Abuser page about suing in civil court if an abuser shares your private sexual images. We also added the corresponding statute to our Selected Ohio Statutes page.
• We added the crime of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images to our Ohio Crimes page in Spanish and English.
• We added a Vermont Extreme Risk Protection Orders page and five corresponding statutes to the Selected Vermont Statutes page.

.…And these are just a handful of the changes and improvements that we made over the past three months! See them all here on our What’s New page: https://www.womenslaw.org/about/news.

Thank you for supporting WomensLaw and the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).

Stay in the loop! Sign up for occasional action alerts and updates from NNEDV at: NNEDV.org/signup.

Legal Information Promotes Safety (August 2019)

WomensLaw is the first and only free, legal resource for survivors of domestic & dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking that offers safety and legal information and resources in "plain language" in both English and Spanish. We are dedicated to empowering survivors and their advocates to make informed decisions about their options, safety, and legal remedies. 

From May 1, 2019, to July 31, 2019, 352,292 people accessed the life-saving information that is housed on WomensLaw.org.

In the past three months (May 1, 2019, to July 31, 2019), we worked directly with 1,767 victims, survivors, and their friends, advocates, or family members through our Email Hotline, which is an increase of over 1,000 emailers since last quarter. This unique hotline offers victims a direct line to ask a question of our attorneys and volunteers, who specialize in domestic violence and the law. We respond to every request as quickly as possible, but take time to respond thoughtfully and include individualized resources and information. We frequently correspond back and forth with the women and men who write in, and many are grateful for our assistance and support. We also hear from the friends and family members supporting loved ones who are experiencing abuse. Some responses we have received over the Email Hotline are below:

“Thank you so much for the information. This has given me a great head start. This situation just recently came to my attention and I am trying to [w]rap my head around the laws to help my sister choose the best path moving forward.” (WomensLaw Email Hotline, May 2019)

And:

“Thank you so, so, so very much for your help !!!!! It is priceless!!! The time & energy & effort you have given to help [us] is just so very much appreciated. You have answered all my questions with compassion, understanding, intelligence & diligence. I cannot thank you enough !!!!!” (WomensLaw Email Hotline, July 2019)

We answer questions and provide our expertise on a wide range of topics - including custody, divorce, relocation, and more. Often, victims or their loved ones are writing in to us to get some basic legal information about their situation when they cannot find legal representation. Although we do not provide legal advice, we can explain relevant laws that may help the victim to make an informed decision.

It is especially rewarding when someone tells us that we explained the information and provided resources in a way that helps them understand their options and think through what to do next. Here is one such reply that we received on the Email Hotline:

“Thank you. The links you provided with the downloadable court forms are super helpful. I will file in NYC, and thankfully I have all of his emails and calls saved because, well, technology. I haven't deleted anything. Thanks again.” (WomensLaw Email Hotline response, July 2019)

We are constantly updating our website (http://www.WomensLaw.org) – making changes and additions to it daily. Our priority is to make sure that the legal information that we have is current with changes in the laws and to continue to add new information that would be useful for victims and survivors of abuse. Between May 1, 2019 and July 31, 2019, we made hundreds of updates, such as:

• We revised the question Can I get alimony? in our Ohio Divorce page to clarify that spousal support can be issued on a temporary basis while a divorce is pending.
• We completely re-wrote our Abuse in Tribal Communities page in English. Spanish coming soon! We also added two related statutes to our Selected Federal Statutes page. 
• After realizing that our Safety in Court and Safety with an Abuser pages were inadvertently blank, we added content to both pages in English and Spanish. We also updated links on our Safety in a Confidential Address page in English and Spanish,
• Where we previously had a brief description of the law, we now created a new Georgia Housing Laws page to further explain a victim’s right to terminate a lease due to domestic violence.. Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come.
• On our Maryland Crimes page, we added the crimes of visual surveillance, camera surveillance, and sextortion in English and Spanish. We also added the related statutes to our Selected Maryland Statutes page in English.
• Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a statute to our Selected Georgia Statutes page regarding investigations of and arrests in incidents of family violence.
• In our Maryland Peace Orders section, we updated the question in English and Spanish called What acts of abuse would qualify me for a peace order? to add an additional six crimes that could qualify someone for an order. This change because effective in 2016. We very much regret the error in not updating our website sooner. 
• We updated the contact info and description of services for North Brooklyn Coalition Against Family Violence on our Advocates and Shelters page in English and Spanish. We also added it to our Finding a Lawyer page since they now offer direct representation.
• On our New Hampshire Finding a Lawyer page, we updated the contact information and descriptions of services for three resources related to programs offered by the New Hampshire Bar Association.
• We added Centro Multicultural La Familia to our Michigan Local Programs page in English and Spanish.
• We updated the information in two questions on our Maryland State Gun Laws page based on changes to the law that added a conviction for firearms-related crimes as a reason to not prohibited from possess a firearm. All changes made in English and Spanish.
• We just published our Preparing for Court video blog series! This series is narrated in Spanish with English subtitles. They include information on things to consider and do before filing a court case, where and how to start your court case, what happens after you file, what to expect at a hearing or trial and how to prepare for it, and court-based examples illustrated by actors on how to make objections, admit evidence, and conduct direct and cross-examination.
• Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a law regarding paternity to our Selected Pennsylvania Statutes page. 
• We added 18 new courthouses and revised the contact information for 58 courthouses on our Massachusetts Courthouse Locations page in English and Spanish.
• In our Ohio Custody page, we updated the links to the Ohio Bar Association in the question Where can I find more information about custody in Ohio?
• We created a new page on Reproductive Abuse and Coercion in English in Forms of Abuse. Spanish coming soon!
• We added an Oregon Extreme Risk Protective Orders page in English and 6 corresponding statutes to the Selected Oregon Statutes page. Spanish translation coming soon!

.…and these are just a handful of the changes and improvements that we made over the past three months! See them all here on our What’s New page: https://www.womenslaw.org/about/news

Thank you for supporting WomensLaw and the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).

Stay in the loop! Sign up for occasional action alerts and updates from NNEDV at: NNEDV.org/signup