This order might sound like an unfamiliar legal term, but many are more familiar with the colloquial term, a restraining order. Very simply, a protection order is a document signed by a judge prohibiting the person abusing you from continuing their abuse, coming near you at your home, work, or school, or contacting you in any way.
While some believe a protection order will keep them 100 percent safe, it is very important to understand that while protection orders hold legal weight, they should absolutely not be the only precaution that you take against the person who has been violent toward you. Before filing a domestic violence protection order, you should certainly speak to a professional about your situation and form a plan that will work best for your and your family when it comes to safety. In some extreme situations, a protection order may trigger more violence.
A Domestic Violence Order of Protection Can:
• Order the abuser to stop their harmful actions.
• Get your abuser out of your home.
• Grant you temporary custody of your children.
• Disallow your abuser to come near you or your children.
• Grant you temporary use of certain personal possessions, such as pets or a vehicle.
Some protection orders can also include ordering the abuser to pay court costs, ordering the abuser to be monitored by law enforcement, ordering the abuser to turn in his or her firearms, and ordering the abuser to attend a treatment program for spousal abuse.
