Figures from the District Courts for the eight years to 2014, show a 55 percent increase in safety order applications during that time.
Women's Aid says that's down to couples who don't live together and same-sex couples being eligible for safety orders since 2007.
And director of the women's group, Margaret Martin, says it is also because barring orders are so difficult to get, meaning more women are applying for both.
“Many abusive partners know this, and instead they use emotional abuse and sexual abuse which is much more difficult to show” she said.
“If you go in and you're applying for a safety order and a barring order – which is what we'd advise a lot of women to do – if you don't get the barring order, you may get the safety order which would again increase the number of safety orders” she added.
