My boyfriend isn't my husband — does the law still protect me from him?
Last updated: 2026-08-10 · Educational content; not legal advice.
Short answer
Yes — RA 9262 isn't limited to marriage. §3 covers a wife, a former wife, and any woman with whom a man has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, so a current or former boyfriend is covered the same way a husband would be.
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Frequently asked
Does it matter if we've already broken up?
No — §3 explicitly covers a woman a man "has or had" a dating relationship with, so a past relationship is covered, not only a current one; the same applies to a "former wife" for marriages.
Do we have to be living together for it to apply?
No — §3 states the abuse it covers applies "within or without the family abode," meaning it applies whether or not you share a home, or ever did.
What if we only dated briefly, or never lived together?
The statute doesn't set a minimum length or living arrangement for a "dating relationship" — it names the relationship type itself as the qualifying fact, not its duration.
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Whether what's happening even counts as abuse under RA 9262 — psychological violence without a hand ever being raised, economic control, threats, and the reach of the law beyond marriage and beyond your front door.