COLUMBUS – Under current law, victims of domestic violence in Ohio cannot obtain a protective court order against someone they are only dating. Two state lawmakers want to change that.
Representatives Emilia Sykes (D–Akron) and Christie Kuhns (D-Cincinnati) announced Wednesday that they were introducing a measure that allows victims of domestic violence “at the hands of an intimate partner” to get civil protective orders against their attacker.
“Abusers almost always become more violent as their victim tries to leave. Closing the existing loopholes are common-sense changes that will allow victims in any abusive relationship to access the recourse they need to end the cycle of violence, said Sykes.
The bill would change existing state law, which defines domestic violence as that occurring between spouses, family members, cohabiting partners, or parents.
Sykes and Kuhns say Ohio and Georgia are the only two states that do not cover dating violence under their domestic violence laws.
“It is a disgrace that Ohio is one of only two states who have yet to make this change,” said Kuhns.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline defines abuse as “a repetitive pattern of behaviors, including physical or sexual violence, threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, and economic deprivation, used to maintain power and control over an intimate partner” and says a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds in the United States.