NCDV Training & Development Manager, Sally Herzog, puts forward the case for all protective orders to be long-lasting, to assist with the long-term recovery of survivors.
This blog is written from my perspective as a survivor, and as someone who has worked extensively with survivors and professionals in the domestic abuse sector. In imagining a world where protective orders last indefinitely, it does not reflect the strategic position of NCDV.
Every day, survivors of domestic abuse navigate a world reshaped by fear, control, and trauma. When they come forward, often after years of silence, they are offered protection through the courts. A protective order is one of the most immediate legal tools we have to interrupt abuse, and NCDV have been helping people obtain them for over 20 years. But here’s the problem: most of these orders are time-limited.
Six months. One year. Two, if you’re lucky.
Then they expire.
But the trauma? The fear? The impact on daily life, relationships, work, parenting, and health? That doesn’t expire.
The Reality for Survivors
For many survivors, leaving the abuser doesn’t mean the abuse stops. It simply changes form – harassment, stalking, legal manipulation, or attempts to control through shared parenting arrangements. The abuser may no longer have a key to the house, but they often still find ways to enter the survivor’s life.
Even when physical violence ends, the psychological footprint remains. Survivors carry hypervigilance, nightmares, trust issues, and fear long after the bruises fade. These effects can last a lifetime.
What Protective Orders Do?
Protective orders, whether they’re Non-Molestation Orders, Restraining Orders, or the newer Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), are designed to provide safety and prevent further harm. They set clear legal boundaries. Breaching them is a criminal offence. They work- but only while they’re in place.
So why do we let them lapse?
Why Orders are Time-limited?
There are practical reasons for time-limited orders, which carry legal weight.
Resource constraints: Courts are busy. Monitoring long-term or indefinite orders takes time and resources.
Legal tradition: The justice system, founded on managing risk, often prefers orders that can be reviewed and renewed, based on current circumstances
Balance of rights: Courts are reluctant to impose lifelong restrictions on someone unless there is an ongoing threat.
But here’s the issue: in many cases, the very reason a survivor needs protection is because the abuser has shown a pattern of control and harm that doesn’t stop. The burden often falls on survivors to prove they still need protecting, even after everything they’ve been through.
What If We Flipped the Script?
Imagine a world where instead of placing the onus on survivors to extend protection, what if long-term – or even life-long – protective orders were the norm?
What if the default assumption was that someone who has been abusive will not be permitted contact, unless they can show that it’s safe?
What if the justice system acknowledged that the impact of abuse doesn’t follow a neat timeline?
This wouldn’t mean punishing people forever without cause, it would mean prioritising the safety and dignity of those who’ve already suffered.
Survivors Deserve Better.
The end of a court case is not necessarily the end of the story. In fact, it’s rarely the end. It’s the beginning of rebuilding.
Time-limited protective orders can be a vital first step. But they shouldn’t be the last. Survivors deserve a system that supports the long arc of recovery, and commits to walking with them for the duration.
Sally Herzog, NCDV