On Feb. 11 Gov. Jim Doyle signed the Lock Out Abusers Act, which keeps perpetrators of domestic abuse from re-entering their victims homes by requiring a lock change on victims’ doors within 48 hours.
This law helps victims of domestic and sexual abuse, as well as victims of sexual assault and stalking.
It is often difficult to obtain safety in your own home if you are a victim of domestic violence, because there are limited places to go.
This law, with written legal documentation, will help victims create a safe haven in their homes again.
Tony Gibart, policy coordinator of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, explained what victims need to do to change their locks.
“(They need) to have a restraining order, or a criminal complaint of some sort to provide a copy of to the landlord,” Gibart said. “The locks then would need to be changed within 48 hours of the formal complaint. Also with this law, victims may now change the locks themselves if they are in a dire situation and feel that would be a better option.”
Landlords have been a problem in the past because locks aren’t always changed per request due to lease agreements.
With this law locks are required to be changed within 48 hours of a request with written legal documentation of abuse.
“There are many options if you are in an abusive relationship,” Shelly Rutz of the UW-Oshkosh Counseling Center said. “Not just physical, because most abusers start attacking your self-esteem to make you feel worthless. An abuser uses a lot of intimidation.”
Rutz also explained how this law complements programs that are already on campus.
“In 2002 the University was given a major grant in the Justice Department on campus for violence prevention programs. One thing we have now is a Victim Advocate,” Rutz said.
“A Victim Advocate is someone who helps inform you of your options and what choices you have if you find yourself in an abusive relationship. It is completely confidential. They can help with advice, reporting the abuser, and they are there for emotional support. The Counseling Center is also completely confidential. But, if you find yourself in an emergency situation, your best bet would be to go to the University Police.”
The Campus Victim Advocate may also attend medical or legal appointments, help with safety planning as well as speak up for victim’s rights and choices that they wish to pursue while dealing with abuse.
Victims of abuse may fill out an incident report online and choose to speak to an advocate in person.
Rutz said violence is a very prevalent issue on campus.
“Based on a big study in 2000 for a campus the size of UW-Oshkosh, an estimated 1,500 students experience interpersonal violence, 700 are stalked, and 250 are sexually assaulted each year,” she said.
To escape from the domestic violence, sexual abuse or stalking, victims may also go to designated abuse shelters.
In Oshkosh, the Christine Ann Center provides temporary housing and support for victims of abuse or stalking.
“Our most used service is our shelter,” Julie Fevola of the Menasha Christine Ann Center said. “That is what we are most well known for. We also provide client advocacy services, such as legal advice on things like restraining orders and hearings; we provide support groups, one on one advocacy safety planning, and ongoing support 24/7.”
All of these things are designed to help victims, and keep them empowered in their situation.
“This law is great for victims of domestic abuse because they would be able to stay safely in their houses,” Fevola said. “We have a lot of victims coming to use our shelter facilities because they are afraid to go home and see their abuser and they don’t feel safe. We get a lot of people who come to use our shelter, and hopefully with this law that was signed, people will feel safer in their own homes.”
Victims of domestic abuse, stalking, or sexual abuse have many options to get help.
Victims can call Counseling Services on the Oshkosh campus at 920-424-20610, University Police at 920-424-1212 or even the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 800-799-SAFE.
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