Non-molestation orders make it an offence for a person causing you harm to continue to contact you. It’s used against someone who has harassed, pestered, intimidated or been violent towards you. The Order can also protect any relevant child from the same behaviours. This is because the Domestic Abuse Act recognises children as victims of domestic abuse.
A non-molestation order might include:
- The abuser isn’t allowed to contact you, directly (themselves) or indirectly (through another person)
- The abuser cannot be violent, pester, harass, follow you
- The abuser cannot pitch up at your work place
- They cannot write about you on social media
Who can you get a non-molestation order against?
- someone you’re having or have had a relationship with
- a family member
- someone you’re living or have lived with
- If you are the guardian of a child
It’s free to apply for a Non-Molestation Order, just download the paperwork from Gov.uk and complete it yourself. If you need help, use a Specialist Domestic Abuse Service, like us.
Or solicitors and other agencies like DV Assist and the National Centre for Domestic Violence if you prefer. Just note that there is usually a cost to these services.
How does the order work?
The completed paperwork is emailed to the local court and a judge decides whether to grant the order. Once the order is in place you can report if the person doesn’t comply with the order to the Police and they could be arrested.
Non-molestation orders can be put in place for any length of time (usually 1 year) and you can apply for an extension if it’s running out. If you live with the person causing you harm, you’ll need an Occupation Order at the same time as the Non-Molestation Order. We can help you with this too.
