Tuesday December 16, 2008
Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention
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In 2006, the first-ever National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week was held, reflecting a new nationwide initiative to increase public awareness and education of the prevalence of teen dating violence among our nation's teens. In 2007 and 2008, a number of my Senate colleagues again joined me in Senate resolutions calling for the first week in February to be designated "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week." On December 11, 2008, the Senate approved S. Res. 710 by unanimous consent, which declares the week of February 2 - 6, 2009, "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week."
The tragic crime of domestic violence in the United States is often unacknowledged by the public face that our society wears. Behind smiling couples and seemingly carefree children lurks something that many thought was better left unspoken. While the discussion of domestic violence happens much more often today, bringing light to this terrible crime that makes a home a prison, abuse still occurs, and, often, the children adopt these destructive behavioral patterns both as victims and aggressors.
When teens begin dating, they apply the relationship norms they learned watching those in parental roles. The results in many junior high, high schools and colleges across our nation are chilling. In June, 2008, Liz Claiborne, Inc., released the results from a Teen Research Unlimited survey it commissioned on dating violence in teens and tweens (those aged 11 to 14). The survey was conducted online between January 2 and January 18, 2008, with a total of 1,043 tweens, 523 parents, and 626 teens completing the survey. The results range from disturbing to frightening:
- More than one in three 11-12 year olds (37%) say they have been in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.
- Nearly three in four tweens (72%) say boyfriend/girlfriend relationships usually begin at age 14 or younger.
- 62% of tweens who have been in a relationship say they know friends who have been verbally abused (called stupid, worthless, ugly, etc) by a boyfriend/girlfriend.
- Two in five (41%) tweens who have been in a relationship know friends who have been called names, put down, or insulted via cellphone, IM, social networking sites (such as MySpace and Facebook), etc.
- One in five 13-14 year olds in relationships (20%) say they know friends and peers who have been struck in anger (kicked, hit, slapped, or punched) by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Only half of all tweens (51%) claim to know the warning signs of a bad/hurtful relationship.
- More than three times as many tweens (20%) as parents (6%) admit that parents know little or nothing about the tweens’ dating relationships.
- Twice as many tweens report having “hooked up” with a partner (17%) as parents reported of their own 11-14 year old child (8%).
- For teens:
- More than one in three teens report that their partners wanted to know where they were (36%) and who they were with (37%) all the time.
- Among teens who had sex by age 14, it’s much higher (58% and 59%, respectively).
- 29% of teens say their boyfriends/girlfriends call them names and put them down, compared to 58% of teens who had sex by age 14.
- 22% of teens say they were pressured to do things they did not want to do, compared to 45% of teens who had sex by age 14.
- 69% of all teens who had sex by age 14 said they have gone through one or more types of abuse in a relationship. **
The crime of teen dating violence, including physical, emotional and sexual assault, and harassment via texting, email or Instant Messaging is a cruel reality for many American teenagers--a reality of which many parents are unaware.
The Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative was spearheaded by teenagers across the nation who chose to take a stand and put a stop to teen dating violence. Initiated in 2004 by the American Bar Association and now supported by over fifty national, state and local organizations, the call to end teen dating violence has been formally recognized in the Senate in 2006, 2007, 2008 and now, 2009. Each year, the Senate has declared the first full week in February "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week." Since 2006, many governors, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Defense and Justice have promoted goals and activities that support the Initiative. The Senate “Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week” resolutions call on government representatives and agencies, private organizations and public officials to promote activities in their respective communities that raise awareness of the high incidence of teen dating violence that occurs among our teens every day, as well as prevention strategies.
In 2006, Idaho's Eagle High School produced several video public service announcements to help raise awareness of this issue. You can download them from the Teen Dating Violence media page.
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** Statistics listed are from research done by the Love Is Not Abuse effort undertaken by Liz Claiborne, Inc.