Stalking is a serious, often violent, offense that can affect the day-to-day life of the victim. It is illegal in all fifty states. Stalking is a behavior that jeopardizes the safety and wellbeing of the victim. It can often escalate and wreak havoc on the victim’s daily life.
If you are dealing with an abusive ex or partner who is harassing, threatening, stalking, or otherwise harming you, an order of protection will help keep you safe. An order of protection can be granted on the same day in certain dire circumstances to keep you and your children out of harm’s way.
Stalking can be either physical or virtual. A stalker may follow you to work or social events or track you via social media to see who you are spending time with and where you are at any given time. They may overwhelm you with hundreds of texts or daunting emails. Stalkers may try to hack into your social media to get into your private info and messages. Some stalkers may use revenge as a tactic of abuse. This involves images either sent to the abuser, or collected through a nonconsensual method, and then leaked online or sent to the victims’ family, co-workers, or friends. It is a way to control, belittle, and intimidate.
When is an order of protection necessary?
If your ex or current partner is being physically or emotionally abusive, or if he or she is keeping you financially dependent it may be time for you to contemplate getting an order of protection against your abuser. You are not alone and if you need support or to want to stop feeling stuck in a cycle of abuse, we can help you. An order of protection will help to prevent them from retaliating and making your life more miserable. If they violate the order of protection, they may go to jail for up to a year or be on probation for up to 3 years or be fined up to $1,000. It is a criminal offense and not to be taken lightly.
At Amaral and Associates we can help guide you through the process of dealing with a difficult ex who is stalking you and securing an order of protections to help keep you safe. Our expertise and knowledge of stalking patterns and knowledge of safety planning will help you to navigate the process of gaining an order of protections, or to take over and to help support the process, if you already have one. Our Family Law attorneys have experience in law enforcement and cannot be intimidated, please contact us today if you have issues with an ex or ex-spouse at (617)539-1010 ext. 111.
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