Last reviewed in March 2023 by the Clicklaw Editors

If you and/or your children are being hit or abused, you can apply to the courts for a protection order or a peace bond to keep your abuser away from you and your children.

Good starting points include:

• Seeking a Peace Bond: A Guide, from Rise Women's Legal Centre, is a resource for anyone in BC who needs protection from a specific person or people and wants to obtain an order from the court. This resource is available in multiple languages. 
• Applying for a Peace Bond and Filing Assault Charges, from Legal Aid BC, provides information on types of abuse, tips for recognizing abusive behaviours, and which kinds of abuse are against the law. Under the section on Protecting Yourself & Your Family, you can find information on family law protection orders and peace bonds.
• For Your Protection: Peace Bonds and Family Law Protection Orders, from the provincial government and Legal Aid BC, is a booklet that explains how and when people can apply for peace bonds and protection orders, and what the differences are between them. 

For more information and support, talk to a victim service worker in your community. Call VictimLink BC or use the HelpMap to find a service in your community.

See our related common questions:

• See all common questions about abuse & family violence
• See all common questions about victims of crime
• See all common questions about women

tags

abusive relationship, relationship violence, protection order, peace bond, no-contact order, women facing abuse, spouse abuse, family law protection order, violence against women, VAW, gender-based violence, GBV