Written by T. Pascal Brown
Description: An article about a police protection order
Instructions: Read the short article below and answer the questions or fill in the spaces.
A protection order is a court order that protects a person and his family from violence and abuse. Anyone can get a protection order if the abuse involves children or elderly people. Applying for a protection order will also prevent the abuser from contacting, harassing or abusing the victim.
A protection order can help to prevent property damage. Once a protection order is in place, the abuser will be warned by the court that he or she can be arrested and fined for contacting the victim. Sometimes the abuser can be imprisoned for breaching the protection order.
A person can apply for a protection order with the help of a lawyer or a community law centre. Women’s shelters can help the victim to get protection order. It is important to keep copies of the protection order at home, work and in a bag as proof that one is protected from that person.
If the abuser breaches the protection order, the victim can contact the police immediately.
Vocabulary:
1. a court order – a special law issued by the judge or court that tells a person what to do and not to do
2. elderly people – older people aged between 60 and above.
3. property damage – the act of damaging or destroying a person’s property (e.g. house, car)
4. a community law centre – a community centre where a person gets free legal advice if they are unable to afford a lawyer
5. women’s shelters – places where women involved in domestic abuse go for protection from the people that abuse them