Changes to the Domestic Violence and Stalking Act are now in effect and will provide better access to protection orders to assist victims affected by these serious crimes. This announcement was made by Justice Minister Heather Stefanson.
“When a victim of domestic violence comes forward, we need to ensure the entire justice system is ready to provide comprehensive and effective assistance,” said Stefanson. “These changes will help get firearms out of the hands of suspected abusers and make protection orders easier to access when Manitobans need them most.”
The act came into effect on May 15 and includes changes to improve access to justice, recognizing the complex issues related to domestic violence including:
- introducing broader criteria to obtain protection orders, which consider the seriousness or urgency of the circumstances;
- requiring mandatory firearms seizures in cases where the court determines the respondent possesses them;
- requiring the court to provide the chief firearms officer of Manitoba with copies of all protection orders that are granted;
- modernizing the definition of stalking to include cyberstalking and other online activity; and
- listing factors that a judicial justice of the peace must consider when deciding whether to issue a protection order including information from other legal proceedings.
A new downloadable and printable form for protection orders and other information for victims of domestic violence are available online.
