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Kentucky Domestic Violence And Abuse Act: Civil Remedies For Victims, Carol E. Jordan, Karen Quinn

Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women Publications

Advocates for victims of domestic violence have long argued that this specifi form of violence is no less an offense than an assault by a stranger. In fact, because domestic violence invovles closely related victims and offenders, it poses additional and very serious risks to victims. Such risks led advocates to promote the creation of civil remedies for victims of domestic violence. The Domestic violence and abuse Act and its civil protections were created by the 1984 General Assembly, not to replace criminal sanctions, but to afford victims additional civil protections which the criminal justice system does not provide.