An increasing number of states, like New York, are expanding order of protection (OP) laws to allow teens to secure orders for dating violence without parental involvement. New York amended its protective order law effective July, 2008, allowing teens without children in common with their abusers to secure OPs for dating violence.
While there has been extensive research in regard to civil OPs involving adults for intimate partner violence, this study represents the first of its kind to examine protective orders involving teens for dating violence. The study is both quantitative and qualitative. The goal of this research is to increase our understanding of OPs taken out by teens as a remedy for dating violence by developing a comprehensive portrait of their use in New York State and exploring with the potential and actual teen consumers, how they perceive these orders and the barriers they face in utilizing them.
