New Jersey already has a Prevention of Domestic Violence Act. This act can provide orders of protection for victims of domestic violence while maintaining strict rules to avoid false reporting and unfounded acusations. 

However, what happens to the women and children afterwards? If they are going through a divorce, New Jersey is a no-fault state. This means that the abuser can ask for half of everything that was acquired during the marriage. During my marriage, I was abused for over a decade while I was earning a living,  putting into my retirment, paying all the bills and trying to protect my children from trauma we are still living with today. This is all at risk of being lost. 

The abuser still has power over us, financial power. Anything I worked for during our marriage the abuser has rights to. Yes the attornies can fight it out until I run out of money. Most victims want to escape, we don't want to continue to fight our abuser and most give in jus to get away. Our only chance is to have a sympathic judge to rule in our favor if victims can afford the court fees (most can't). However it could go the other way and a victim could be forced to pay their abuser monthly support, sell the house and give half the proceeds, half the their retirement without any concern of how it impact the victim or child. 

In 2018 bill A399 was introduced to the New Jersey legislature. "This bill would prohibit an award of alimony to a person convicted of a crime or offense involving domestic violence by the victim of that crime or offense. If the recipient of an existing alimony award is subsequently convicted of a crime or offense involving domestic violence against the payer spouse or partner, such conviction would constitute "changed circumstances" for the purposes of a petition to terminate the alimony award. As defined in section 3 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-19), the acts that constitute domestic violence are: homicide; assault; terroristic threats; kidnapping; criminal restraint; false imprisonment; sexual assault; criminal sexual contact; lewdness; criminal mischief; burglary; criminal trespass; harassment; and stalking". (billtrack50.com)

If we win, victims of domestic violence can move on and start a new life. If we loose, the victims continue to relive their trauma every month, paying their abuser to be free. Tell our legislature we want this bill reintroduced and pushed through.