Breaking restraint. Men say they are the real victims of harassment
By BRIAN GORMLEY, HAVERHILL GAZETTE STAFF WRITER, HAVERHILL, MA

- Considering the recent high-profile cases of domestic violence
in the region, Alan Finger of Haverhill is fighting an unusual war: To make
restraining orders more difficult to obtain.

Finger belongs to the Coalition for Preservation of Fatherhood, group of
men seeking to change the state restraining order law.
The statute, Chapter 209A, is de-signed to protect women. Finger, however,
says some women file frivolous claims to harass innocent men. The law, he
argues, is a remedy gone too far.

"There's an assumption that women never lie," said Finger, of Sherwood
Drive. "The ability to do dastardly deeds is not gender specific. It flies
in the face of justice."

State Sen. Robert Antonioni, D-Leominster, has filed a bill to change the
law on the coalition's behalf. Now a woman can obtain a restraining order
on the basis that she has been placed in fear. The bill would require
applicants to prove actual harm. It would also change the way they're enforced.
A man with a restraining order against him is prohibited from coming
within 100 yards of the woman. The bill would require proof the violation
was intentional. It would also limit restraining orders to a year but
allow for their renewal.

Due to constitutional questions raised by attorneys on both sides, the
state Senate last week referred the bill to the Supreme Judicial Court,
said state Sen. James P. Jajuga, D-Methuen. He added that the Senate has
yet to debate the bill.

Women's groups say the proposal would cripple the law. Forcing the man to
avoid the woman makes the law work, said Nancy Scannell, director of public
policy for the Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women Service Groups.
"I think 209A is doing what it's supposed to do," Scannell said. "So far
it's one of the best methods for ensuring safety we have. People are dying
as a result of domestic violence. It's a serious issue."

No one disputes that. A woman is battered every 15 seconds, said Det.
George S. Tattan, domestic violence officer for the Haverhill Police
Department. Ninety-seven percent of domestic violence victims are female,
according to U.S. Department of Justice figures. Sixty percent of boys who
witness violence in their homes abuse their mates as adults, according to
Casa Myrna Vazquez Inc.

"I work with this every day," Tattan said, adding that abuses occur but are
relatively few. "I would be very, very careful about changing restraining
orders."

Some women, however, goad men into violating their orders or simply lie in
order to have them arrested, said Finger. A phone call, for instance, is
considered a violation. He added that women use the law to keep men from
seeing their children, or to simply harass them.

"They make one heck of a large blunt instrument to wield against somebody
to gain control in a divorce," Finger said. "We just want to be rational
about this and make sure we protect people from the bad guys and not punish
good people."

Indeed, coalition members say more and more women are joining their fight.
"We're not looking to weaken the law in terms of protecting those who
legitimately need it," Finger said. "This is the kind of law that begs to
be changed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that."