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Dating Violence


October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. And as I stated in my last blog I would be adding different topics that affect women and their families in caught in the plight of domestic violence. The legal term Domestic Violence, has been expanded to cover Dating violence, Sexual Assault, and Elderly Abuse under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) according to the US Department of Justice Office On Violence Against Women.

Although this issue is not just an Afrikan issue its important to educate the community to become more aware because the revolution starts at home, and for many, many families the hurt is in the home. The silence helps it continue to have the strength to terrorize those who are caught in the snare but the whole community, nations suffer because people would like to act like these acts of violence against women, our women isn't happening.

Today we will be covering Dating Violence. This happens to pre-teens, teens, young adults, women and men. Many readers feel like "closing the blinds" to incidents of domestic violence. The metaphor suggests that domestic violence is often thought of as a "private matter" and one that is no business of anyone outside of a family's four walls. This is especially true in the homes and neighborhoods of many Blacks where people seeking help from an abusive situation are viewed as snitches and traitors.

Dating Violence has is a form of abuse that more often than not goes unreported. When you statistics about dating violence you can be sure the numbers are about 200% higher. The reasons most victims of dating violence to not report this form of abuse is many. Family, religion, work, and social relationships are all factors in keeping this deadly act silenced.


The fact sheet below was written by the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, located in Denver Colorado. While this article covers a lot for the general population the information that is missing in most of these facts is the racial disparity in services. Also missing is coverage for the issues that many people of color face on a daily basis, issues that affect mortality and whether or not people of color are able/willing to use their services. This is often due to the lack of cultural competency, training and hierarchy of these service providers.

Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence

YouTube - Causing Pain: Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9Ctwk8R470


DID YOU KNOW?

• Women ages 16 to 24 experience the highest per capita rates of intimate violence - 20 per 1,000 women.1

• 53% of domestic violence victims are abused by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.1

• 13% of teenage girls who are in a relationship report being physically hurt or hit.2

• 54% of all rape cases occur before victims reach 18 years of age.3

• 71% of rape and sexual assault victims knew their offenders.3

• Studies indicate that as a dating relationship becomes more serious, the potential for and nature of violent behavior also escalates.4


TEEN DATING VIOLENCE

 Nearly one in five teen aged girls report that their boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm when presented with a breakup.2

 One in four teen girls who are in a relationship report they are pressured into performing oral sex or engaging in sexual intercourse.5

 One in five teens in a serious relationship reports having been hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner.2

 A study of 8th and 9th graders found that 25%have been victims of nonsexual dating violence, and 8% have been victims of sexual dating violence.6

 26% of teen girls in a relationship report enduring repeated verbal abuse.7

 42% of boys and 43% of girls say the abuse occurs in a school building or on school grounds.8

 Over 30% of teenagers do not tell anyone about being victimized by their partner - less than 3%
 report the abuse to police or another authority figure and only 3% tell a family member about the
 violence.9

WHY IT MATTERS

Dating violence occurs when one partner attempts to maintain power and control over the other through one or more forms of abuse, including sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. Dating violence affects both females and males, and does not discriminate by racial, social, or economic background.
Given the prevalence of domestic violence within dating relationships, communities must work together
to prevent these violent relationships and ensure that victims of dating violence have adequate access to legal protection.

NCADV Public Policy Office • 1633 Q St NW 210 • Washington, DC 20009 • (202) 745-1211 • Fax: (202) 745-0088

publicpolicy@ncadv.org

EFFECT OF DATING VIOLENCE ON HEALTH

Those who experience dating violence are more likely to participate in binge drinking,
fighting, and/or smoking and are at an increased risk of suffering from mental illness.13

The rates of sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy are higher for young people who
have a history of abuse.14

Harvard School of Public Health study indicated that female teenagers who are victims of dating violence are significantly more likely to become victims of sexual assault.15


It was found that females involved in violent relationships typically suffered from post traumatic
stress and dissociation, while males suffered from anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress.14

Research strongly suggests that social support helps mitigate the negative mental health of dating violence.3AMPUS VIOLENCE

CAMPUS VIOLENCE

21% of college students report they have experienced dating violence by a current partner. 32% report dating violence by a previous partner.10

60% of acquaintance rapes on college campuses occur in casual or steady dating relationships.11

13% of college women report experiencing forced sexual intercourse by a dating partner.7

Over 13% of college women report they have been stalked. Of these, 42% were stalked by a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend.12

HOW TO HELP

One of the most effective ways to help protect young adults from the harmful effects of domestic violence is to write your legislators asking them to support the following initiatives:

legislation encouraging education for middle and high school students that talks about healthy dating relationships and addresses the problem of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.


legislation providing additional funding for local program initiatives that provide counseling services to youth and children exposed to domestic violence.


funding for local programs and schools that provide domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking education, prevention and intervention.

increased funding for the youth programs in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2005.


Encourage members of local schools and youth programs, including teachers, counselors, and athletic coaches, to seek

training on how to recognize youth who are in violent situations and how to provide resources to intervene in domestic


violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Ask local schools about their comprehensive safety plans that address such topics.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information or if you or someone you know is a victim of dating violence and wants help, call the

National Domestic Violence Hot-line at 1-800-799-SAFE and National Sexual Assault Hot-line at 1-800-656-HOPE.

You can visit also visit the Dating Violence Resource Center at www.ncvc.org

STATE DATING VIOLENCE LAWS16

Many states require a victim to be married to, live with, or have a child in common with the perpetrator in
order for criminal and civil domestic violence laws to protect the victim.

39 states and DC allow victims of dating violence to apply for orders of protection against the perpetrator.

Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming allow minors 16 years and older to petition for an order of protection without an adult. California allows minors 12 years and older to petition without an adult.

Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and
Virginia does not recognize dating violence in their statutes.


SOURCES

U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2001) Special Report Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-1999. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2


Liz Claiborne Inc. "Study on Teen Dating Violence." Teenage Research Unlimited, Love is Not Abuse. (February 2005). 3

Dating violence: Facts, (2007), Retrieved June 16, 2007, from http://www.ricadv.org/dating_facts.html.


Teen Dating Violence Resource Manual, (Denver, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) 1997. pg 17. Children Now, Kaiser Permanente Poll, December 1995.


Foshee, V.A., et al. The Safe Dates Project: Theoretical Basis, Evaluation Design, and Selected Baseline Findings. Youth Violence Prevention: Description and baseline data from 13 evaluation projects (K. Powell, D. Hawkins, Eds.). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Supplement, 1996, 12 (5), 39-47

No More Factsheet, Liz Claiborne Inc., Love is Not Abuse.

Lockyer, B., & O'Connell, J. (2004). A preventable epidemic: Teen dating violence and its impact on school safety and Academic Achievement California Attorney General's Office and the California Department of Education.

Christian Molidor, et. Al., Gender and Contextual Factors in Adolescent Dating Violence, February 2000.

C. Sellers and M. Bromley, "Violent Behavior in College Student Dating Relationships," Journal of Contemporary Justice (1996). Retrieved from The National Center for Victims of Crimes, Campus Dating Violence Fact Sheet, and www.ncvc.org.

I. Johnson and R. Sigler, "Forced Sexual Intercourse on Campus," Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice (1996). Retrieved from The National Center for Victims of Crimes, Campus Dating Violence Fact Sheet, www.ncvc.org

B. Fisher and F. Cullen, "Extent and Nature of Sexual Victimization of College Women," (Washington: NIJ, 2000). Retrieved from The National Center for Victims of Crimes, Campus Dating Violence Fact Sheet, www.ncvc.org.

Seave, P., & Lockyer, B. (2004). Teen Dating Violence. Office of the Attorney General and the Crime and Violence Prevention Center, West Ed.

Varia, S. (2006). Dating violence among adolescents. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth.

Harvard School of Public Health (2001). "Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls Linked with Teen Pregnancy, Suicide, and Other Health Risk Behaviors.

Dating Violence Laws: A Statutory Overview (2000). National Center for Victims of Crime.