WomensLaw serves and supports all survivors, no matter their sex or gender.

Plain-language legal information for victims of abuse

Email Hotline Ask Us a Question

Legal Information for Victims

Legal Information for Victims

  • Restraining orders
  • Custody 
  • Divorce
  • Immigration
  • Preparing for Court
  • More
Legal information: Restraining orders, custody, divorce, immigration, preparing for court, more

About Abuse

About Abuse

  • Am I Being Abused?
  • Danger Assessment
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Staying Safe
  • Helping Others
  • More
About Abuse: Am I Being Abused?, Danger Assessment, Emotional Abuse, Staying Safe, more

Places that Help

Places that Help

  • Finding a Lawyer
  • Courthouse Locations
  • Advocates
  • Shelters
  • More
Places that Help: Finding a Lawyer, Courthouse Locations, State and Local Programs, Helping Others, more

What’s New on WomensLaw.org

Have a suggestion or correction? Contact us!

January 2025

We added four additional locations of Community Legal Aid to our Ohio Legal Assistance page in English and Spanish.

We added 10 statutes related to gun laws, felony penalties, custody, and service of process to our Selected Ohio Statutes page.

Based on legislative changes that took effect in October 2024, we revised three questions in our Massachusetts State Gun Laws page to reflect the amended reasons that a person can be prohibited from getting a firearms license. We also revised six questions in our Massachusetts Extreme Risk Protection Orders section and two questions in our Massachusetts Abuse Prevention Orders page. Spanish coming soon. Lastly, we added a related newly enacted statute to our Selected Massachusetts Statutes page.

We updated outdated links and information in English and Spanish on our Helping Others - Doctors and Health Care Workers page.

Much more

Featured Testimonials

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my email and respond to each of my questions one by one. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed response. I appreciate the resources and referrals you’ve shared. They provide a good starting point as I navigate this difficult situation. I plan to follow up with the organizations and resources you suggested. The suggestions regarding safety planning and online support groups are helpful, and I will explore those options as well. Thank you again for your support and understanding during this challenging time.

I want to thank you so very much for your responsiveness, sensitivity, extremely useful information, and for the small bit of hope I now have because of your website.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to me. I will most definitely be looking into the resources you have provided. It means a lot to be heard finally.

Spotlight on...

Courtroom experience: Admitting evidence into the court record and the basics of direct and cross-examination
Watch more videos

In the past 12 months, WomensLaw.org had…

3,969,320 unique users

9,153,030 pages viewed

6,299 people helped on our Email Hotline

© 2008–2024 WomensLaw.org is a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Inc. All rights reserved. This website is funded in part through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). NNEDV is a 501©(3) non-profit organization; EIN 52-1973408.