PORTLAND – Victims of domestic abuse may be able to seek protection orders without having to confront their abusers in court thanks to a grant awarded Pine Tree Legal Assistance.

The U.S. Commerce Department awarded a three-year, $374,996 grant to develop a video-conferencing system between courthouses and shelters for abuse victims.

The system that will be developed would allow the victims to obtain their court orders, as well as legal advice, by going online instead of into a courthouse.

Initial hookups will be established at the West Bath and Belfast district courts by Oct. 1, 2001, with Lewiston to follow, under the pilot project, according to Nan Heald, executive director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance.

“The point is to provide safety to victims,” Heald said. “We hope this is successful and that the state will add funding to expand it statewide.”

More than 6,000 petitions for emergency protection from abuse orders are filed in Maine courts each year, according to Pine Tree Legal Assistance. While domestic abuse cuts across economic lines, most victims are low-income people left particularly vulnerable when they flee domestic violence in their homes.

State statutes require judges to meet with victims, who must go to court, where they often are confronted by alleged abusers, creating the potential for intimidation and violence. Video conferencing would eliminate the need for victims to enter court to obtain a protection order.

“There’s a huge problem of people needing to get a court order who are exposed to physical violence by their abusers,” she said.

The grant, one of 35 presented to nonprofit organizations nationally, will be matched by coordinated efforts and contributions. In Maine, these will include the Maine Bar Foundation, Maine Judicial Department, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and Legal Services Corp.