Group assists abuse victims

In a country where an estimated 4 million women are beaten each year, there is an emerging support structure for domestic abuse victims.\nAt IU, and throughout the Bloomington community, people who need protective orders have a place to turn. The Protective Order Project, a group run by IU-Bloomington law students, works to assist people who need protective orders.\nThe project has about 40 volunteers and four board members. Many of the volunteers work in other public service groups, like women's shelters, mental health facilities and advocacy groups.\nPOP works with clients who need a protective order by interviewing them and finding them volunteer attorneys who can work with the local legal system to stop abuse and represent them in court.\nPOP faculty adviser and law lecturer Seth Lahn said finding attorneys can be important for victims.\n"A volunteer attorney can be particularly important when the respondent (the abuser or stalker) tries to block the order, or have it rescinded, or where the petitioner and respondent shared a home or have children together -- in all of which cases a contested court hearing may be necessary," Lahn said.\nA protective order is a court order that states the abuser must not "abuse, harass or disturb the peace of the victim" and must not enter the victim's property, destroy any of the victim's property or contact any member of the victim's household.\nPOP assistant director Peter Wozniak said the group works closely "with the local judges, police, prosecutor, sheriff, probation office (and) legal services organizations." He added that "the local legal system -- from the judges to the clerks to the prosecutor to our volunteer attorneys -- has been very supportive and helpful."\nUsing the POP has several benefits. Use of the project's services is free, so victims of abuse who cannot afford legal representation can get free assistance. POP also claims to have a very fast response time and tries to get clients emergency protective orders within 24 hours.\n"People assume that domestic violence or stalking is something that doesn't happen to college students," Wozniak said. "This is simply not true. Victims of domestic violence come from every demographic group."\nWozniak said the group has had fewer and fewer clients within the last few years. He is worried that, without an increased caseload, the group might be forced to shut down.\nThe lack of clients, however, is not indicative of less abuse. Statistics show that domestic abuse is still very prevalent throughout the United States. According to the American Bar Association, "nearly 1 in 3 adult women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood."\nWozniak said often, abuse goes unreported because the victim is either afraid to report the abuse or is physically unable to report it.\nHe said the key to helping people is getting the word out that help is available.\n"This semester, we are planning to increase the amount of community outreach we are doing, and we plan to go around campus and the community talking to various groups," he said.\nLahn said "POP is funded entirely through contributions, chiefly from the annual fundraising done by the Women's Law Caucus at the law school."\nWozniak added the group has enough funding to get by but always accepts donations.