English
EspañolV is worried about "messing up" A's life by getting RO (3rd person, written to friend of V)
It is not uncommon for victims of abuse to not want to take out a protection order based on “feeling guilty” for “messing up” the person’s life in some way by doing so. However, another way of looking at that situation is that in reality, the main way that a protection order can “mess up” the person’s life is if she or he violates the order, which is a choice made by the abusive person. If the abusive person chooses to ignore the order and continue the contact, it is the “fault” of the abusive person, not of the victim, even if the victim reports it to the police. However, another thing to think about though is even if your [FILL IN] decides to get a protection order, do you think your {FILL IN} would actually report any violations of it? A protection order is really only effective if the holder of the order (the victim) is willing to report violations to the police or the court so that it can be enforced.
NOTE TO STUDENT - YOU MAY WANT TO ALSO CHOOSE ONE OF THE SAMPLE LANGUAGES IN THIS SECTION REGARDING WILL AN RO GO ON THE PERSON’S RECORD OR SHOW UP IN A BACKGROUND CHECK, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE PERSON ASKS.
