Woodkirk Stone
CLEVELAND – For many, being stuck at home by the pandemic closures of 2020 was a depressing inconvenience. For some, it was a financial ordeal. For too many victims of domestic violence, this imposed a much higher cost: loss of hope.
Seeking help can be difficult for victims of domestic violence for many reasons, including not having a safe place or time to make a phone call, access resources, or go to a shelter. It is essential that victims can quickly and safely get the help they need, when they need it.
Knowing that closing the pandemic left victims more trapped than ever, advocates for victims of domestic violence began discussing in the summer of 2020 how to help.
In collaboration with the Ohio Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Ohio Legal Help has designed an online tool that provides a new avenue for victims of violence housekeeper to ask for help. Now victims can go to Ohio Legal Aid website (ohiolegalhelp.org/) complete the forms to obtain a civil protection order for domestic or dating violence.
The tool has been designed with the needs of victims of domestic violence in mind. Simple and clear instructions explain how to create a “My OLH†account, complete the necessary forms and file them with the court. The site is secure, confidential and easily accessible on smartphones, tablets and computers. A person can work on the forms whenever circumstances permit – such as in the middle of the night or when the abuser is away – and can stop and start over as many times as necessary to complete the forms. And in case the attacker appears unexpectedly, a “Safety Exit” button redirects to a benign site but records the user’s progress.
Unfortunately, the need for this lifeline has never been greater. An article from December in the New England Journal of Medicine called intimate partner violence during COVID-19 a “pandemic within a pandemic.” In February of this year, TIME Magazine reported that “when there is little or no time apart, such abuses can get worse, quickly.” “
David Kutik, a retired Jones Day lawyer, is chairman of the board of the Ohio Legal Help.
Ohio Legal Help was launched in 2019 with the mission of providing civil legal aid to low-income, underserved and vulnerable populations. OhioLegalHelp.org provides online information to help people with legal issues, including family, housing, debt, and education issues. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Legal Help has helped more than 700,000 users.
As Ohioans approach another winter, family tensions can increase due to weather lockdown, vacation stress and other factors. In an ideal world, no one would face violence in the home. For those who feel trapped in an abusive relationship, this new tool from Ohio Legal Help offers the start of a solution.
David Kutik, retired from the law firm Jones Day, where he was a partner in the firm’s litigation practice, is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and chairman of the board of the Ohio Legal Help.
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