What began as one woman’s allegations of sexual misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein has become a cascade of people speaking out about sexual violence from Hollywood to Wall Street to the media to college campuses across the country. The #MeToo movement is giving a voice to those who have stayed silent for too long. And, it is not just powerful women who are speaking up. The National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE) reported a record increase in calls, 21 percent more than usual, since the #MeToo movement began. It has become clear that sexual assault is much more widespread than previously acknowledged and many survivors no longer have to feel alone. It is also clear that the majority of victims are assaulted by someone they know. According to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, seven out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. Young people who experience campus sexual assault are even more likely to know their offender as nine out of 10 victims of campus sexual assault knew the person who assaulted them, according to U.S. Department of Justice research.

Civil Protection Order Options in Pennsylvania

As more and more people disclose their sexual assaults, it is likely that an increased number of people will seek a civil protection order. A Protection From Abuse (PFA) order may protect those abused or sexually assaulted by a family or household member, including a current or former intimate partner. But until recently, those assaulted by an acquaintance, and therefore not eligible for a PFA, had little recourse against their attacker outside of the criminal justice system. The Protection of Victims of Sexual Violence or Intimidation Act (PSVI) went into effect in Pennsylvania in July 2015. The PSVI Act provides for two types of orders. The Protection from Intimidation order was created to protect minors from harassment and intimidation from adults who are not family or household members, while the Protection from Sexual Violence order provides protection to both adults and minors who were sexually assaulted by someone who is NOT a family or household member, dating or intimate partner. This relatively new option is a step forward for the legal options available to victims of sexual assault, but it remains underutilized and not well understood.

Which Option Is Right for Your Client