October – Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Arkansas House of Representatives has been working this year to pass laws in an effort to prevent abuse and protect victims. A look at some of these laws that have been past this year include…

ACT 800 – Which creates the Arkansas Phoenix Act of 2021 amending the statute of limitations for offenses involving domestic violence and provides for training to be given to law enforcement officers on additional topics that arise in which domestic violence is suspected. 

Act 980 – Creates a mechanism to protect the address information of victims of domestic violence on all voter registration materials.

Also protecting victims locations is Act 913 – which requires that someone requesting the address of an individual participating in the address confidentiality program due to domestic violence have a court order with a compelling reason for access to the residence address and also includes that the person requesting must not have been convicted of domestic violence against who the order of protection has been entered. The Arkansas House of Representatives released a statement saying, “No person should be subject to the fear, shame, and humiliation that an abusive relationship produces”.

If you or someone you know is impacted in any way by domestic violence visit laurascard.ar.gov to find resources near you.