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The Law on Domestic Violence in Illinois |
In the last decade, government’s response to this
societal problem has increased, both in effort and in
effectiveness. The Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 ushered
in a new era for our state. Recent Supreme Court rulings have put
more "teeth" into the law by effectively mandating that law
enforcement act to protect victims of domestic abuse. |
According to Illinois law, police officers must take steps to
protect a victim of domestic abuse whenever a "family or
household member" has committed any act of "abuse."
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"Family or Household Member" includes: |
- spouses and former spouses
- parents, children and stepchildren
- persons who formerly shared the same home
- persons who dated or were engaged, regardless of gender
- persons who allegedly have a child in common
- persons with disabilities and their personal assistants
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"Abuse" includes: |
- physical abuse (pushing, hitting, forced sex, not allowing
you to leave)
- harassment (creating a disturbance at your job, repeatedly
telephoning, following or watching you, preventing you from
seeing your child, threatening to hurt you)
- making a child or other person watch abuse
- forcing you to do something you don’t want to do
- denying a disabled person access to needed care
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