Technology and Teen Dating Violence Awareness

There is a lot of debate lately about how to protect children and teens from the dangers of the Internet and social media.

Adults want to try to figure out how to censor it, monitor it and control it – all in the hopes of preventing youth from abusing it or getting hurt by it.

But Perri Klass put forth an intriguing idea in his recent New Youth Times piece “Seeing Social Media More as Portal Than as Pitfall.” He argues that maybe social media is neutral and it’s what is done with it that makes it hurtful or helpful. He goes on to write about how the current debate we are having about Internet and mobile technology is the same debate our parents had about TV.  And his main question was what if, instead of condemning it and trying to keep children and youth away from it, we used it to engage them further in educational and outreach efforts.

The reality is that teens have and are going to use the Internet and technology. Yes, they can be hurt when using it, but that’s not always the case. Technology is neutral. Like many things it can be used for both bad and good. So why not try and use it correctly instead of fighting it?

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: Campaigns to follow

As with all good campaigns, the goal is to get information to the public in the hopes that information will lead to action.

With the issue of teen dating violence, campaigns and programs vary from national campaigns spotlighting the issue to local programs offering services to teens and their parents.

For the rest of the week, we’re going to highlight programs that have taken on the mission to shed light on teen dating violence and provide help to those touched by it.

First up, probably one of the most visible when discussing teen dating violence: Liz Claiborne Inc.’s Love is Not Abuse.

Boys and Teen Dating Violence

Stop a second and close your eyes.

Yes really –RIGHT THERE…

…right in your chair

…or on the sidewalk

…or on the train.

Wherever you are, stop a second and think:

When you hear the terms ‘domestic violence’ or ‘dating violence,’ what immediately comes to mind?

For most of us, the image of a bruised and battered woman or teenage girl as the victim of her male partner probably springs to mind. The problem with that is while advocating for female victims and focusing mostly on their needs, an entire group of victims has been ignored – the male victim.

 “In fact, a consistent but counterintuitive finding is that female adolescents inflict more physical violence than male adolescents, with female perpetration rates ranging from 28 percent to 33percent in contrast to male perpetration rates ranging from 11 percent to 20 percent” (ACT For Youth).

Girls and Teen Dating Violence

What Do Girls Face?

When you look at these posters what kinds of words or thoughts are going through your mind when you read about their situations on each red flag – sadness, fear, humiliation, jealousy, violence, pride, defiance, anger?

All girls could be experiencing violence; these pictures from the Red Flag Campaign show what kinds of situations they might be facing. Maybe they are being put down by a partner, pressured into sex, or even the one hurting their partner.  These girls show that anybody could be the victim – or even perpetrator – of emotional abuse, verbal manipulation, or physical violence. It’s important to understand this in order to get the overall picture of where girls fit into the issue of teen dating violence (TDV).

So where do they fit?

“Approximately one in three adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical,

emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner – a figure that far exceeds victimization rates

for other types of violence affecting youth.”–Futures Without Violence

Teen Dating Violence: An Overview of Boys and Girls

Teen Dating Violence (TDV)

We opened the month in support of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and this week we’d like to talk more about how teen dating violence affects girls and boys. Because “among adolescents aged 12 to 21, almost 3 in 10 have experienced violence in opposite-sex relationships,” and according to Womenshealth.gov “in the United States, teens and young women experience the highest rates of relationship violence. In fact, 1 in 10 female high-schoolers say they have been physically abused by a dating partner in the past year.”

The Cycle of Violence

Although teen dating violence is a problem itself, it is helpful to look at violence as a whole to better understand why, how, and when it happens. One way of looking at the subject of violence is through what is called the “cycle of violence,” which looks at the different phases of abuse. This cycle is about controlling another person within the boundaries of a relationship, and it can be physical, emotional, mental, or even financial.

Department of Justice Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces Guide

Reblogged from Justice For Life:

The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) provide the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Strategy and Operations E-Guide as a resource for both established and new Task Forces. The Guide is intended to assist in the development or reorganization of an anti-human trafficking Task Force and to provide fundamental guidance for effective Task Force operations. The Task Force concept used in this Guide is based upon the Department of Justice …

Love is…not abuse: Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

As the video above shows, love is many things…but it’s not abuse.

Educators, advocates and community groups will try to stress that point during this month’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

The first Teen Dating Violence Awareness month was first recognized by Congress in 2010, an expansion of the awareness week, which started in 2006.

Defined as “the physical, sexual, or psychological/emotional violence within a dating relationship, as well as stalking,” teen dating violence can occur in person or electronically, between a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.

Hunting the Predator

Reblogged from Justice For Life:

Why the ‘Johns’ aren’t getting prosecuted – Fox…, posted with vodpod Human trafficking is a global problem. But it’s quickly gaining local media attention as people learn how prevalent the problem is in cities such as Atlanta, Phoenix and New York, among others. Local law enforcement agencies say it is more challenging than ever to crack down on the ‘johns.’ “The issue with prosecuting buyers — or ‘johns’ as some people call them — typically they’re not known to the victim,” said Cobb …

Task Force to Examine Children’s Exposure to Violence In Rural and Tribal Communities

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence will hold its second public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

See the Announcement here:

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2012/2012-01-23_task_force_examines_childrens_exposure_to_violence_pr.pdf

USA Today’s Bullying Article Is Brutally Honest

Reblogged from Bullying Stories:

• 

Bruce Kugler, a contributing writer for USA Today wrote a very strong article on bullying titled “Bullying in USA: Are we defenseless?” In this straightforward article, Mr. Kugler brings up the latest victims of the bullying issue and asks the question to us all in his article title. What’s the answer? At one point in the article, his daughter, after he tells her of a recent tragedy tells him that “It’s Not Going To Get Better”, changing the current catch phase of the anti-bullying movement. It is a sad, …