Holes in domestic-violence laws must be closed to protect victims, ABA leadership urges
All 50 states allow victims of domestic and sexual violence to get protective orders, Angela C. Vigil told the ABA House of Delegates Monday.
But only 19 states allow the orders when the victim and the perpetrator have no established domestic relationship, said Vigil, who is a partner at Baker & McKenzie and the chair of the ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Of reported stalkers, she said, 80 to 90 percent are not intimate partners.
Resolution 109A urges governments to remove the partner requirement. It passed unanimously.
Its sister resolution, Resolution 109B, urges governments to address the housing problems often faced by victims of domestic violence. Vigil said the resolution would support extending the Violence Against Women Act’s housing provisions to state law.
“We cannot make [victims] choose between trauma and a roof over their heads,” she said.
David English of the Commission on Law and Aging urged a yes vote, saying domestic and sexual violence are growing problems among older Americans. English is a professor at University of Missouri School of Law.
