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Arizona law contains provisions that protect people who believe they may be in danger of domestic violence. You may be able to obtain an order of protection that will legally prevent anyone who wishes you harm from making contact with you. An order of protection can extend to a spouse, former spouse, parent of your child, someone who has lived with you in the past, someone who currently lives with you or basically any relative or anyone in general home you believe represents a threat to your immediate safety.
Arizona has taken a tough stance against domestic violence, especially as it relates to children. For that reason, a person in the state feels threatened can go to their Local Justice Court, Superior Court and even a Municipal Court and file a petition for an order of protection. The protection order does not initially require anyone to have witnessed the abuse nor does the petitioner have to exhibit bruises or any other visible signs of domestic violence in order to obtain the document. In fact, here are some factors that Arizona recognizes as acts of domestic violence:
— Verbal abuse such as name-calling or trash-talking.
— Emotional abuse such as making personally condescending or disparaging remarks.
— Committing violence against children.
— Making threats of assault.
— Committing damage to property such as burning clothing or destroying photographs.
— Surreptitious monitoring such as placing a GPS tracking device on a vehicle.
This is not an exhaustive list of actions considered indicative of domestic violence. However, these acts represent reasonable grounds for a person to believe they are in immediate danger. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please urge him or her to seek an order of protection and work with an attorney towards getting a divorce.
Source: Arizona State Legislature, “Section 13.3602 Order of protection; procedure; contents; arrest for violation; penalty; protection order from another jurisdiction” Aug. 07, 2014
