The domestic violence is a growing concern nowadays, especially for the women where they are threatened and in most cases beaten quite mercilessly. The actions that are interpreted as domestic violence under the law include physical as well as the psychological attacks, and even the disturbances or harassment caused by the abuser with an intention to threaten the victim in these cases the family member or spouse.
The domestic violence between the couples is quiet common and most of the times the victims are the wives, although several times such violence might also extend towards step children. In such cases the law provides certain remedies, which will be discussed here. Handling such situations all by yourself is not advisable; instead you should contact your local domestic violence attorney and a family counselor.
Such steps might be very helpful in mending your relationship, however, if you think that the reason behind these violent threats is that your spouse has a psychological disorder or illness of some kind, or the mere fact that he/ she enjoys giving these threats and it will be difficult for you to control or prevent them, then it will be better for you to take a legal advice from your state or district’s domestic violence attorney.
The major remedy available in Law for such behavior is the Protective Order or a Restraining Order, which orders the abuser to keep a distance from the victim. The restraining order may order the abuser to stay away from the victim’s room, home or workplace, and it might go to a greater extent and order a separation and assign certain distance for the abuser to keep, say 100 feet or 1km etc. If abuser is found to be violating this order, then he/ she can be charged for trespass, which is a criminal offense in itself. Also, if the abuser has beaten the victim, he/ she might be charged with greater offenses such as assault or battery.
The question you might want to ask would be that whether the protective or restrictive order is helpful in such situations. These orders are very helpful in many situations as they allow for arresting and even sentencing the abuser, hence they act as a deterrent on the abuser and mere thought of being arrested or sent to jail prevents them from taking such actions in future. However, in certain cases these orders might add to the fury and fail to prevent the abuser. In such cases, the abuser, instead of trying to change his/her own behavior, increases the violence to take revenge. The law can provide some security even in such cases, but it is not a perfect guarantee that the abuser will stop acting in that manner.
The final advice, therefore, would be to contact the legal professionals and especially the domestic violence attorney of your state or district, who would be better able to give you an advice that is best suited for your situation.