Even with a protection order, many forms of abuse, such as harassment, slander, filing false reports with child protection, or other forms of retaliation, can be hard to stop.

Protection from Harassment Act "The purpose of [the Protection from Harassment Act] is to provide a very easy way for somebody to get help," Fletcher pointed out.

Roughly 40 percent of the petitions for protection from abuse filed in Houston County over the past year were dismissed upon request of the victim.