Legal Help for Domestic Violence Victims

Through the free, confidential WomensLaw Email Hotline and free, plain language, accessible materials on the WomensLaw.org website, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) fills a critical service gap for survivors across the country. Many victims who turn to the WomensLaw Email Hotline are navigating the court system on their own because they don’t have the resources for legal representation and legal aid resources are overstretched or nonexistent in their community. The trauma-informed, victim centered attorneys at WomensLaw support victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, empowering them with the information they need to understand their legal rights, determine what steps they can take, and navigate court processes on their own confidently. 

The WomensLaw Email Hotline is the first and only national hotline of its kind, providing free, confidential legal information and support for survivors, their advocates, and their loved ones in both English and Spanish. WomensLaw responds to every Email Hotline inquiry it receives, providing personalized legal information and referrals for thousands of people annually.WomensLaw responds to every Email Hotline inquiry it receives, providing personalized legal information and referrals for thousands of people annually. 

From April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023, the WomensLaw team worked directly with 1,794 victims, survivors, and their advocates, or loved ones at Email Hotline. We frequently correspond back and forth with the people who write in, and many are grateful for our assistance and support, as users shared below:

“I am glad I reached out. It was good for me. Sometimes I don’t want to go through this abuse by myself. But I always have except this time. Thank you with my deepest sincerity for responding to me. It meant a whole bunch of gratitude from me.”
—WomensLaw Email Hotline User, June 2023

And:

“Thank you, thank you! I cried reading your response. This is the first time I have felt validated about my husband's actions not only being wrong but a crime. I am so thankful for your help. I've taken some steps to start healing myself from him. Your reply to me is a huge part in that.”
—WomensLaw Email Hotline User, May 2023

We answer questions and provide our expertise on a wide range of topics including custody, divorce, relocation, and restraining orders. Often, victims or their loved ones are writing in to us to get basic legal information about their situation when they cannot find legal representation. Although we do not provide legal advice, we can explain relevant laws to help the victim to make an informed decision. It is especially rewarding when someone tells us we explained the information in a way that was easy to understand and lets us know the information helped them feel supported and safe. Here is one such reply that we received on the Email Hotline:

“Thank you for keeping us informed and on the right track for the fine details that we could be missing. Again a “thousand thank you’s” to you. So grateful and indebted to you for taking time out of your busy schedule to reach out to us with such wonderful advice and keeping us informed.”
—WomensLaw Email Hotline User, May 2023

In October 2022, WomensLaw launched a new chat feature integrated into the Email Hotline. Through this platform, Email Hotline users can live chat with an attorney to ask follow-up questions related to their Email Hotline inquiry. The embedded chat feature is unique because it preserves the chat discussions within the larger Email Hotline correspondence, unlike other Hotlines offering live chat that erase the conversation when the chat ends. This feature allows the survivor to come back to the information provided via chat and it helps WomensLaw staff better answer follow-up questions from the survivor related to the live chat or their Email Hotline correspondence. As we approach the first anniversary of its launch, response to the embedded chat feature has been positive, with one user sharing:

“Those are all the questions I have for today. I greatly appreciate your support. I'll return in the future when I have more questions. Thanks so much. So happy to have this resource.”           

WomensLaw.org has on-demand legal content written in plain language to help victims understand complex legal issues. WomensLaw.org fills a critical service gap for survivors across the country by providing state- specific, plain-language legal information in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. From April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, 1,177,189 people accessed the life-saving information housed on WomensLaw.org.

The team of attorneys at WomensLaw is constantly updating the legal information and resources on the website to make sure that website information is current with changes in the laws. The WomensLaw team is also continuously adding new information useful for victims and survivors of abuse. Between April 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023, we made dozens of updates, including:

• In our Maryland Domestic Violence Restraining Orders page, we revised What are the legal definitions of domestic abuse, sexual assault, abuse of a child, and abuse of a vulnerable adult in Maryland? to clarify that victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault committed within the past six months can file for a protection order against anyone, regardless of their relationship. These changes were made in both English and Spanish.

• In our Colorado State Gun Laws section, we added the questions I do not have an order of protection against the abuser and s/he has not been convicted of a crime. Can s/he have a gun? and The abuser uses a gun for his/her job. Does the law still apply? in the More Information and Where to Get Help section. We revised the questions I am a victim of domestic violence and the abuser has a gun. Is that legal? in the Basic Info and Definitions section and I have a protection order against the abuser. Can s/he have a gun? in the Guns and Protection Orders section to clarify when a judge must include firearm restrictions in a domestic violence protection order (if, after reviewing the petition, the judge determines that an act of domestic violence took place and it involved physical force or the threat or attempt to use physical force).

• Based on 2022 amendments to the laws, we revised Who can file for an extreme risk protection order? in our New York Extreme Risk Protection Orders section to add a list of medical and mental health professionals who can file for an extreme risk protection order if they have treated the respondent within the prior six months. We also revised If the judge orders the abuser’s guns to be taken away in my order of protection, how will they be taken away? in our New York State Gun Laws page—in both English and Spanish —to explain it is mandatory, not optional, for the judge to order seizure of firearms if the respondent willfully fails to surrender them.

• In our Florida Restraining Orders section, we created the question Can my injunction be extended, changed, or dismissed? in our Injunctions for Protection Against Repeat Violence, Dating Violence, or Sexual Violence section. We revised a similar question in our Injunctions for Protection Against Stalking/Cyberstalking page and our Injunctions for Protection Against Domestic Violence page to add information about extension of orders; previously both questions only addressed changing and dismissing an order. These changes were made in both English and Spanish.

• In our Maine State Gun Laws section, we updated I am a victim of domestic violence and the abuser has a gun. Is that legal? and What is the penalty for violating state firearm laws? to clarify that anyone who has a protection from abuse order against him/her that prohibits him/her from having a firearm or other dangerous weapon- regardless of the relationship with the victim- would also be prohibited from having a firearm or dangerous weapon while that protection order is in effect. We updated If the abuser’s gun is taken away, what will happen to it? to include information about what happens if the abuser turns over his/her gun to someone other than a law enforcement officer. 

• In our Indiana Orders for Protection section, we revised What types of order for protections are there? How long do they last? to include the circumstances under which a judge will order a hearing and to add information about the fact that if the respondent is a “sex or violent offender,” the order can last indefinitely. We also added the related statute that defines “sex or violent offender” to our Selected Indiana Statutes page.

The changes and improvements listed above represent only a handful of the updates to WomensLaw.org between April 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. See everything we did on WomensLaw.org on our What’s New page.

Thank you for supporting WomensLaw and NNEDV.

Links:

• WomensLaw Email Hotline
• WomensLaw Website
• National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)