It takes a tremendous amount of courage to leave an abusive relationship. You need as much support during this traumatic time as you can get. No one deserves to be victimized and abused. You must develop an escape plan that ensures your safety. After securing yourself, you should contact law enforcement and report the crime. The State Attorney’s office will prosecute with your cooperation. In addition, you can obtain a civil Injunction at the courthouse. There is a domestic violence intake office that will assist you in filling out the forms. It may be helpful to consult an experienced family law attorney in advance to get some expert guidance on what to say in the Petition for Injunction. Certain requirements have to be met for the Injunction (often referred to as a restraining order) to be granted.

Women in Distress of Broward County, (www.womenindistress.org) is an invaluable local agency that assists women who are the victims of domestic violence. Their 24-hour emergency number is 1-800-500-1119. The Gay and Lesbian Community Center, (www.glccsf.org) serves the gay and lesbian community in Broward County, and has a support group for the survivors of domestic violence. The GLCC’s hotline is 954-761-1133.

Domestic Violence is a crime. But it has to be reported in order for you to get the help and protection that you need. Call 911 and report domestic violence, the very first time that it happens. You may just be saving your own life.

A Restraining Order (or Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence, as it is formally known) is sometimes necessary in the context of a divorce proceeding. These injunctions are covered by a separate statute, Chapter 741. If you have been the victim of domestic violence, it is essential that you disclose this at our first meeting. No one deserves to be the victim of domestic violence. If you believe you are in need of such a restraining order, advise the office immediately after you’ve contacted the police or gone to the Emergency Room, if applicable. It is not necessary for you to have an attorney to go with you to obtain the temporary injunction (which expires within 15 days), as there will be no hearing. The Judge will decide whether you’ve met the requirements from the Petition for Injunction that you will fill out at the Courthouse. However, you may want representation when you appear at the hearing that the court will schedule to determine whether the temporary injunction should be made permanent. If your spouse has filed for a restraining order against you, it is essential that you have representation at the hearing. However, this office does not represent defendants in criminal domestic violence cases (if you were arrested for domestic violence), but does represent defendants in civil domestic violence cases (where you weren’t arrested, but were merely served with a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence).

A woman is pulled from her bed by her ankle at 5 am by her husband and dragged across the floor, and is beaten and bloodied because she didn’t have his favorite shirt ironed for him to wear that morning. Another woman is followed by her husband everywhere she goes. He checks her cell phone to see who she’s spoken to, and when he’s feeling particularly jealous he takes her car keys away and keeps her prisoner in their home. A man’s wife is a verbally abusive, physically violent alcoholic, and threatens that “if I can’t have you, no one will” whenever he talks about ending the marriage.

More than 1,300 women are murdered each year in the United States by their current or former husbands, boyfriends or domestic partner. Florida holds the dubious distinction as the nation’s leader in murder-suicides. And for every woman that is killed, eight more are seriously injured in a domestic assault. Men can also be the victims of domestic violence by their wives, and same-sex domestic violence is very real, though under-reported.

Domestic Violence is a crime. But it has to be reported in order for you to get the help and protection that you need. Call 911 and report domestic violence, the very first time that it happens. You may just be saving your own life.

Domestic violence is on the rise in south Florida during these difficult and challenging economic times. People who lose their jobs are more likely to commit acts of domestic violence.