types

TYPES OF RAPE
Domestic violence: Protection orders effective in reducing abuse, American Journal Preventative Medicine, 2003

Protection Orders Effective in Reducing Abuse

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 02 - While only one in five women who have been abused, stalked or raped get a civil protection order against their boyfriend or husband, new findings suggest that those who do are less likely to experience further abuse than women who do not.

Abused women usually have the option of reporting an incident of physical abuse to the police with or without filing a civil protection order.

Violation of the order can result in misdemeanor or felony offense charges, with penalties ranging from verbal reprimand to fines or incarceration, according to the report published in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Some reports have found that such orders protect against further abuse, while others have not.

In the current study, lead author Dr. Victoria L. Holt, from the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues followed a group of 448 women who had been abused by a partner.

According to the report, 253 of the women obtained civil protection orders while the other women only reported the incident to the police. All of the women were interviewed about abuse they encountered at the beginning and end of the 9-month study period.

The women who received a civil protection order were 60% less likely to have further contact with the abuser, 70% less likely to experience further injury and 80% less likely have more abuse-related medical expenses. However, the protection orders did not reduce harassing phone calls.

"Based on these findings and those of our recent police-record-review study, civil protection orders appear to be one of the few widely available interventions for victims of intimate partner violence that has demonstrated effectiveness," write the authors.

"While obtaining a civil protection order is no guarantee that further abuse will be prevented for any one individual, health and criminal justice providers should consider providing information about civil protection orders to all individuals affected by intimate partner violence," they conclude.

Am J Prev Med 2003;24:000-000.