COVID-19 Family Violence Lawyers ensure family members stay safe during the increased stress caused by the Covid 19 Coronavirus pandemic. Newspapers and television are now routinely warning of a spike in family violence around the world and today’s Vancouver Sun notes the increase in BC and Alberta. Our top-rated Vancouver coronavirus 19 family lawyers, and BC and Calgary family law lawyers and COVID-19 Family Violence Lawyers are working overtime now to help ensure families stay safe from family violence. Our lawyers obtain family protection orders including lifetime protection orders. All 6 of our BC and Calgary offices are open fulltime and taking calls 7 days a week to help family law clients in all of the cities throughout BC and Alberta. If you need an urgent family violence protection order call us now toll-free at 1 877 602 9900
April 7, 2020 Update Vancouver’s Battered Women’s Support Services says their staff have seen a 300-per-cent increase in calls over the last three weeks. – Vancouver Domestic crisis line says calls up 300%.
Divorce Act Changes Coming June 2020 address family violence as follows:
Addressing family violence
Before the changes, the Divorce Act did not include measures for dealing with family violence, even though it can have a serious impact on children’s wellbeing. The amendments to the Divorce Act fill that gap.
For the purposes of the Divorce Act, family violence is defined as any conduct that is:
- violent
- threatening
- a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour
- causes a family member to fear for their safety
- directly or indirectly exposes a child to such conduct
The following measures will address family violence:
- Courts will have to take family violence into account. A list of factors have been added to the Divorce Act to help courts assess the seriousness of the violence and how it could affect future parenting when deciding what parenting arrangements would be in the child’s best interests.
- Before making parenting, contact or support orders, courts will need to consider any other proceedings or orders involving any of the parties. This is to avoid situations where family court orders conflict with orders made by a criminal court. For example, contact or parenting time ordered by a family court may conflict with a restraining order against one of the parties.
COVID-19 Family Violence Lawyers 1 877 602 9900
COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic. The pandemic will have both short-term and far-reaching implications for families. Our COVID-19 Family Violence Lawyers know high-stress home isolation environments may increase the likelihood of domestic violence and abuse to spouses and children that children either experience or observe. Reports from China as cited in a recent Globe and Mail article and from many other countries around the world as cited by a Guardian article give us cause for concern. Call our Vancouver coronavirus 19 family lawyers immediately if you are concerned for your safety.
BC Courts including those dealing with family law matters have suspended regular operations to protect the health and safety of court users and to help contain the spread of COVID-19. While regular operations are suspended the Courts will still hear emergency and urgent matters. Rana Yavari of our downtown Vancouver coronavirus 19 family lawyers team explains how you can get into court to get the protection from family violence you and your family need.
Our family violence lawyers follow the best practices for screening for and protecting our clients from family violence. Here is a federal government summary of the best practices and what constitutes the “cycle of violence”.
The following family law matters are presumptively considered to be of an essential, emergency and urgent nature:
- The safety of a child or parent due to a risk of violence or immediate harm (e.g., a protection order, conduct orders, or exclusive possession of the home);
- The risk of removal of a child from the jurisdiction (e.g., relocation, non-removal, wrongful removal or retention of a child); and
- the well-being of a child (e.g., essential medical decisions, urgent issues relating to parenting time, contact or communication with a child that cannot reasonably be delayed).
Protect Yourself, Protect Your Children 1 877 602 9900
The relationship between Covid-19 and family violence has been seen wherever the virus has spread. People living with violence in their relationships and families may be experiencing increased isolation and danger because of the Coronavirus Disease. While families being in states of toxic stress more than ever, COVID-19 is tipping the scales toward increased vulnerable situations where children are victims of family violence. Our top-rated Vancouver coronavirus 19 family lawyers will help protect you and your children. In addition, you can click the BWSS site for more information on resources to help you keep safe, read this recent CBC article on Covid 19 Coronavirus and domestic violence and this CTV article on domestic violence rates rising.
COVID-19 Family Violence Lawyers 1 877 602 9900
If you have experienced family violence, or feel you or your children are in danger of family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may want to consider applying for a protection order. Family violence includes physical abuse (or attempts), emotional or mental abuse, sexual abuse (or attempts), and/or children being exposed to violence in the home.
A protection order is a court order made by a judge to help protect one person from another. A protection order lists conditions for a named individual to follow that may require that individual to have no contact, or limited contact, with the person being protected or that person’s children and/or family. The conditions may include not going to the protected person’s home or workplace, no phone calls, emails, or letters, and no messages through a friend or relative. The order may include other conditions as well.
The person identified in the protection order is required to follow the conditions of the order and this will protect you from any further family violence. Police can issue a warrant for his or her arrest if the person breaches the conditions of the order.
Contact our family violence protection order lawyers at 1-877-602-9900. There is zero tolerance for family violence.
Our Vancouver coronavirus 19 family lawyers family law offices are an essential service according to the BC and Alberta governments and our top-rated COVID-19 Family Violence Lawyers are ready and able to help you now. Call us toll-free to meet with us by video or telephone to get the protection you and your family deserve.
*MacLean Law has won Top Choice Award as Vancouver’s top family firm 6 years in a row (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020), Top rated reviews on Google, Yelp, threebestrated family lawyers in Vancouver, Surrey, and Richmond, and Lorne MacLean, QC is rated by Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Canadian lawyer. Read more about our awards.
