“What are all the legal options I can try to stop my partner from beating me up?”

What Does the Law Say?

Domestic violence is an assault and therefore a crime. If a court finds a man guilty of assault, he can get a fine or a prison sentence.

What Can You Do?

These are the legal options you can try:

• Call the police to stop your husband or boyfriend from hitting you. They will probably not take him away or arrest him.
• Lay a charge of assault against your husband or boyfriend.
  (See: Problem 6: Reporting rape or assault and going to court)

You must be prepared to make a statement to the police and later to go to court. Many women are scared to do this because they fear that their husband or boyfriend will beat them up even more if they find out. Also, if the man is found guilty, the sentence is usually just a small fine.

• Get a Protection Order . This is an order from the court to your boyfriend/ husband to stop him hitting you, or to tell him to stay away from you or to have him removed from the home. (See: getting a Protection order)
• If you are married to the man who batters you, you may want to end the violent relationship. You may want to leave him and get a divorce.
  (See: Divorce)
  (See: Problem 1: getting a divorce)
• Lay a charge of trespass. You can do this if you own or rent a house and someone keeps coming onto your property without your permission. It is important that you have told the person before not to enter your property or your house. If he does not obey, you can tell the police he is trespassing.