New Legislation Will Help Protect Domestic Violence Victims
Friday, February 14, 2014
By: Carmel Delshad

February 14, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando-The Orange County Domestic Violence Commission met today to introduce two pieces of legislation that will help protect victims of domestic violence.

The first piece of legislation will keep the addresses of domestic violence victims confidential in public records, like court records.

Harbor House Shelter CEO Carol Wick says previously, if a domestic violence victim testified, his or her address would become public record.

“For a lot of people that’s just not worth the risk. So they just choose not to testify and their offender goes free,” says Wick.

Another piece of legislation will allow for the prosecution of those who violate the ‘no contact’ order by calling the victim from jail.

State Attorney Jeff Ashton stressed the importance of early action in dealing with victims and prosecuting abusers.

“The quicker that we get to victims the quicker we can bolster them, the quicker we can show them the value of cooperating in prosecution and the quicker we can get them help and have the case be successful,” Ashton says.

Employees of the Harbor House can now serve as special clerks, processing affidavits filed by victim so they don’t have to go to the courthouse to fill out the paperwork. 

The committee also discussed a new Justice Drop-In Center that is currently in the planning stage. Domestic violence victims can seek shelter, get access to food and receive medical care at the center.