When it comes to domestic violence protection, Virginia is a failure. In a study by an organization called Break the Cycle, Virginia’s Report Card got an “F” when surveyed on the strength of its civil domestic violence protection. Virginia is one of only 8 states to receive an “F” in the nationwide study. The low grade came from the lack of protection for those in dating relationships and those under the age of 18. The current law restricts protective orders to those who are experiencing “family abuse”, which is defined as violence from a partner who shares a place of residence, has a child in common with or who is married to the survivor.
The lack of protection has spurred attention from Virginia lawmakers who will be voting this week on a bill that aims to expand the provisions of protective orders to include people in dating relationship. The new law, if passed, will be a huge development for Virginia in strengthening its effort to assist survivors and stop domestic and intimate partner violence. Check out the site and see what other ways Virginia can raise its score. Help your state become a better supporter of domestic and intimate partner violence survivors! Join Doorways in advoca
ting for this bill. Failure is not an option.
Caroline Jones
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Doorways , Gwen Rubinstein. Gwen Rubinstein said: #embarrassing RT @DoorwaysVA: VA Gets an “F” for Domestic Violence Protection http://bit.ly/fcU9Vt [...]
[...] class assignment involved creating an Animoto video about an issue my client is invested in. The latest post (at the time) on Doorways’ blog was about Virginia’s ridiculous lapses in protection [...]