The 2015 Kentucky General Assembly created a new chapter of state law to establish civil orders for protection of victims of dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Known as Interpersonal Protective Orders, the court measures can be obtained by victims of these crimes or by an adult on behalf of a minor who qualifies. That means a parent can obtain a protection order for a son or daughter being stalked or who has experienced a violent dating situation.
This kind of protective order is long overdue and the General Assembly wisely created the new law. Before this, victims who did not have a child with the abuser or who never lived with the abuser could not get protective orders, leaving teenagers and others who experienced dating violence with little recourse.
