February Is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness And Prevention Month

Teen Dating Violence (DV) Prevention and Awareness Month is a national effort to raise awareness about abuse in teen and 20-something relationships – and to promote programs that prevent it during the month of February.

The repercussions of teen dating violence are impossible to ignore – they hurt not just the young people victimized but also their families, friends, schools and communities. Throughout February, organizations and individuals nationwide are coming together to highlight the need to educate young people about relationships, teach healthy relationship skills and prevent the devastating cycle of abuse.

For years, young people across the nation have organized to put a stop to dating abuse. With their adult allies, they achieved a major victory in 2005 when the importance of addressing teen dating abuse was highlighted in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The following year, Congress followed the lead of dozens of national, state and local organizations in sounding the call to end dating abuse. Both Chambers declared the first full week in February "National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Week." Then in 2010, Congress began dedicating the entire month of February to teen dating violence awareness and prevention.

Now in its third year, Teen DV Month is celebrated by leaders in government, student bodies, schools, youth service providers, community-based organizations, parents and more.

It is a wonderful opportunity to share information with your employees about how this issue impacts their families – and those they care about. And clearly no one in your workforce is immune from dating abuse at any age….so it is a great way to open the door. We’ve got information and resources below from our CAEPV Members at Break the Cycle.

To get great information, resources, and ideas for activities, visit the Teen DV Month website from our CAEPV Member Break the Cycle.

To read the Presidential Proclamation of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, click here.

 

New Survey Finds 43% Of Dating College Women Have Experienced Abusive Dating Behaviors

CAEPV Member Liz Claiborne Inc has revealed the findings of their recent study of dating abuse among college students. The results? Dating violence and abuse is more prevalent on college campuses than previously believed.

The survey, “Liz Claiborne Inc.’s Love Is Not Abuse 2011 College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll,” was conducted by Knowledge Networks to address the lack of data on dating violence and abuse among college students. Knowledge Networks interviewed 508 college students including 330 women and 178 men for the study.

According to the findings, a significant number of college women are victims of dating violence.

• 43% of dating college women report experiencing abusive dating behaviors including physical, sexual, tech, verbal or controlling abuse.
• Nearly 1 in 3 (29%) college women say they have been in an abusive dating relationship.
• More than half (57%) of college students who report experiencing dating violence said it occurred in college.

The results also show that college students generally do not know how to help their friends, or themselves, get out of abusive relationships.

• 58% of college students say they don’t know how to help someone who is a victim of dating abuse.
• 38% of college students say they don’t know how to get help for themselves if they were a victim of dating violence.

While many of the controlling behaviors overlap between high school and college students, other behaviors are specific to college students. For example, 11% of respondents were prevented from going to study groups, 8% were told whether to live on or off campus and 7% were told exactly which classes to take.

Our friends at  Love Is Respect and Break the Cycle have joined together to college students - and those who care about them - the tools needed to identify college dating abuse and address it.

On the website of Love Is Respect – the National Dating Abuse Helpline they’ve added a brand new section to arm students with knowledge.  You can locate it at http://www.loveisrespect.org/LC_study_pdfs/SafetyPlan_College_Students.pdf

College students - you can download the Liz Claiborne Inc. study, plan your safety, find info for helping a friend and brainstorm ideas to end violence at your school. We encourage you to download and spread these documents around your campus.

Teachers and parents — are you looking for a way to teach dating abuse info to your college students? The Love Is Not Abuse college curriculum is available online, free at www.loveisnotabuse.com/web/guest/curriculum.

Still have questions? You can call Love Is Respect – National Dating Abuse Helpline anytime at 1-866-331-9474.

Great Ways to Help Make A Difference with Break the Cycle, Joyful Heart Foundation, and the Allstate Foundation

Do you want to do something to help nonprofit organizations -- but you don't have person funds to do so yourself? Let Chase and Allstate do it for you! Here are two great ways:

 Help CAEPV Members Break the Cycle and Joyful Heart Foundation win up to $500,000 from Chase Community Giving.

If you've never participated in Chase Community Giving before, you'll be to asked to “like” Chase Community Giving (https://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving ) and grant the application access to your Facebook profile--once you click "Allow" you'll be taken through to the voting page.

• Break the Cycle: https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/954582664-break-the-cycle  
• Joyful Heart: https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/721519537-joyful-heart-foundation  

Join Allstate, Make a Promise to Improve Your Finances, and Help Grameen America

Join the Allstate Foundation and Dress for Success in making a promise to improve your finances. Click to Empower! will donate $1 to Grameen America for every promise made. Help them reach their goal of donating up to $10,000.

It's simple, click on the Make a Promise tab on their Facebook page and select a promise! 

So....click away!


 

National Teen Dating Violence State Law Report Cards Released - How Did Your State Do?

Break the Cycle (www.breakthecycle.org ) the nation’s leading dating abuse prevention organization, recently released its 2010 State Law Report Cards: A National Survey of Teen Dating Violence Laws, which grade how well states protect minors from abusive relationships.

The 2010 Report Cards are expanded to include information about school-based response to dating abuse as well as accessibility of other related services for teens. Each state’s report card also includes specific policy recommendations to help guide on-the-ground efforts to improve these laws.

This year, Break the Cycle updated the grading system with assistance from researchers at the University of Minnesota. Among others, some of the criteria used in grading included: can minors receive protection orders; do dating relationships qualify under the law; and, do same sex couples have access to legal protections? Break the Cycle received pro bono support from independent law firm Latham and Watkins, LLP to compile the 2009 state law statutes.

Sample of Key Findings:


• New Hampshire (A) receives the highest score because it is the only state which allows minors of any age to petition for protection orders without parental involvement.

• Arizona (B) and the District of Columbia (A) improved their laws since last year’s report. Arizona now allows people to qualify for protection orders if they are in a dating relationship with their abuser. In DC, teens as young as 12 can now petition for protection orders without parental notification.

• Ohio receives an F in the 2010 Report, but Governor Ted Strickland recently signed into law a bill mandating violence prevention education in schools and clarifying the state’s restraining order statutes, allowing minors and people in dating relationships to legally protect themselves. Changes take effect later this year and will be reflected in the 2011 Report.

• Pennsylvania (D) is considering a bill mandating violence prevention education in schools. Though not a factor in the 2010 grades, this statute could work in their favor for the 2011 report.

• Kentucky (F) has pending legislation, House Bill 30, that would allow victims of abuse in dating relationships to access protection orders. If the bill passes, Kentucky’s grade could rise to a B, based on Break the Cycle’s current metrics.

2010 State Law Report Cards Grades

• Only six states and the District of Columbia (14%) receive A’s – CA, IL, NH, OK, RI and WA

• Fifteen states (29%) receive B’s – AK, AZ, DE, FL, IN, ME, MA, MN, MS, NJ, NM, NY, TN, VT and WV

• Sixteen states (31%) receive C’s – AR, CO, CT, HI, ID, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, MT, NE, NV, NC, TX and WY

• Four states (8%) receive D’s – ND, PA, OR and WI

• Nine states (18%) receive F’s – AL, GA, KY, MO, OH, SC, SD, UT and VA

 For more information and to download a complete copy of the 2010 Teen Dating Violence State Report Cards, please visit www.breakthecycle.org.

Welcome to Break the Cycle - The Newest Member of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence (CAEPV)

We are pleased to welcome Break the Cycle as our newest CAEPV member!

At Break the Cycle, they believe everybody has the right to safe and healthy relationships—regardless of where they live, who they are or what they believe. That is why they work everyday towards their mission to engage, educate and empower youth to build lives and communities free from domestic violence.

Break the Cycle offers programs that defy geographic bounds—ensuring that no young person is excluded from receiving the help, tools and information they need to live free from violence. Our success is demonstrated by more than a decade of leadership in working with teens to prevent and end domestic and dating violence.

They are also the sponsors of the Teen Dating Violence Prevention Project to raise awareness and coordinate activities for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Learn more at http://www.teendvmonth.org/.

The Corporate Alliance shares in these wonderful values and we look forward to this new partnership with our friends at Break the Cycle!

Want to See A Report Card For Your State on How it Responds to Dating Violence?

As we wind up National Dating Violence Prevention Awareness and Prevention Week here in the United States, I thought I'd write a note to let people know that Break the Cycle, one of the nation's leading organizations addressing teen dating violence, issued the first ever state-by-state report card evaluating the level of legal protection each state offers young victims of domestic and dating violence earlier this week

The report cards are designed to draw special attention to the discrepancies between the protections afforded to adult victims of violence as compared to teen victims. States were graded on an A through F scale. States that do not allow minors to obtain restraining orders were given an automatic "F." According to Break the Cycle, 15 states received an "F" while only three -- California, New Hampshire and Oklahoma – received "A's."

The grading system is made up of an in-depth assessment of key elements within each state's domestic violence statutes. The system was established after Break the Cycle conducted a nationwide review of state laws. The study revealed a number of common trends -- both positive and negative -- that directly impact the protection of teens.

Considered in the equation were such factors as: age restrictions; parental consent requirements; and whether or not dating even qualifies as a "domestic relationship." Along with the grading system, Break the Cycle released recommendations for improvement of state domestic violence laws. The organization is working with law enforcement, community leaders and politicians across the country to raise awareness and strengthen protections for teens. For more information or to view the full report, visit http://www.breakthecycle.org.

I was glad to see that my home state of Illinois scored a "B" -- it is not an "A," but certainly not an "F." Break the Cycle has done a great job of putting the information in easy to use fact sheets that are really easy to understand and very helpful.

If you are a parent, a teen, or someone who cares about these issues, or if you are just curious, you should take a look. You may be surprised about what it takes to get help if you are involved in an abusive or stalking relationships and you are underage.

And turning the page a little bit, with Valentine's Day coming up next week, I think it is worth taking time to look at ALL the relationships in our lives -- family, friends, co-workers, community-- as well as our intimate ones -- to see if they are as healthy as they can be. After all, the people around us are really the most valuable things in our lives and worth the time, aren't they? If you ever need more information about such things, check out our website at www.caepv.org.

Happy Valentine's Day -- and I wish for all of us to feel loved and safe and secure with the people who love us most!