Girls use law to seek safety from other girls

Associated Press

MANSFIELD

Designed to protect teens from dating violence, a year-old Ohio law has been found to be used more by girls trying to stop bullying from other girls.

Enacted in 2010, a law named for Shynerra Grant allows people to file protection orders against individuals younger than 18.

Grant was a 17-year-old Toledo girl who was shot to death in 2005 by her ex-boyfriend, who police say later killed himself. A year before her death, she tried unsuccessfully to obtain a civil stalking- protection order after her ex-boyfriend broke her jaw.

Before the law was enacted, only adults could seek protective orders.

Despite the intent of the law, central Ohio has seen more civil orders of protection from girls seeking respite from other girls, the Mansfield News Journal reported.

In Richland County, only one of nine requests for protective orders involved a girl against a boy, with the rest coming from girls against other girls.

Protection orders impose penalties if two people ordered not to come into contact do. A person must feel threatened physically or emotionally to petition for an order, Licking County Juvenile Court Magistrate Chris Strefelt told the newspaper — a criminal offense isn’t required.

Licking County Juvenile Court received 16 requests since the law took effect June 17, 2010. None of them related to dating violence, which was the intent of the law. Court records show that nearly half of those requests came from girls in disputes with other girls.

In Franklin County — which houses Columbus, Ohio’s most populous city — 25 of 71 protective orders granted since January involved disputes between girls.