Domestic Abuse Misconception #23

Domestic Abuse Misconception #23: Getting a restraining order will protect the victim from further abuse. The truth is that it can help but it is not a guarantee. 

Getting a restraining order can be a valuable option in certain situations, though it can take time and emotional energy to push through the process. 

Restraining orders can be helpful, but they aren't always helpful. A restraining order may give a victim a false sense of security or it may enrage an abuser even more. And it certainly only works as long as the abuser is actually willing to obey the order. 

Here is an article that details the pros and cons of the restraining order. 


(Note: In all of my posts I use "he" for abuser and "she" for victim for simplicity and because, in the majority of cases, the abuser is male. But it can be the opposite with a female abuser. Dynamics of abuse can also happen in same sex relationships.)

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