TEENAGE DATING VIOLENCE

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TEENAGE DATING VIOLENCE

• Identifying and Coping with Teenage Dating
  Violence

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• While awareness of the problem of domestic
  violence has grown and court systems across the
  country develop new strategies for assisting the
  adult victims and batterers domestic violence
  between teenagers often falls out of these
  efforts

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How serious is teenage domestic violence?

• 1 in 3 high school students have been in or will
  be in an abusive relationship before they reach
  the age of 24
• 25 of teenage girls admit to being in a violent
  relationship

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How serious is teenage domestic violence?Cont.

• 68 of teenage women who were raped knew their
  rapist
• 30 of all murdered teenage girls are killed by
  their current or former boyfriend

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Why is dealing with the issue of teenage domestic
violence important?

• Early intervention
• DV stunts development of self-esteem, personal
  value and mature relationships
• Stress caused by abusive relationship directly
  effects school focus and grades
• Breaking the cycle of domestic violence

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How is Teen Dating Violence Different From Adult
Domestic Violence?

• Court must look closely at the abuse to
  differentiate between immature behavior and abuse

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Is identifying teenage DV the same as in adult DV
cases?

• Physical abuse and stalking
• Threats to family
• Criticism and name calling
• Keeps partner from friends
• Forces partner to do such things as sex, drugs
  and alcohol
• Threatens suicide

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Is identifying teenage DV the same as in adult DV
cases?

• Constant calling and checking in
• Tells partner how to dress
• Gets angry when cannot reach partner
• Insists on spending time together
• Keeps partner from family

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Is this dating violence?

• Peggy is 16 years old, 52 and weighs 95 pounds.
  She files for an ex parte restraining order
  stating that her boyfriend Fred, a 17 year old
  football player, has hit and shoved her on at
  least 5 occasions, and that he is always putting
  her down calling her a bitch and whore. She
  shows you a bruise on her arm where she says he
  hit her two days ago. You grant the temporary
  order. However, at the hearing Peggy changes her
  story. She says it was an accident and she
  doesnt want the restraining order. Peggys
  mother appears and tells you she is afraid for
  her daughter because she has gone from an A
  student to a C student, and while she has seen
  bruises on her daughter she doesnt know where
  they came from. Fred denies hitting or pushing
  Peggy, except when he has had to push her away
  from him because she was attacking him. He
  admits to name calling but says she also calls
  him names.

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Is this dating violence?

• Christina is a 13 year old junior high student.
  She comes to court requesting a restraining order
  against Joe who attends the nearby high school.
  She tells you she had a crush on Joe and when he
  invited her to the movies she went with him one
  time. On the date he tried to give her alcohol
  and have sex, but she refused. He then called
  her a bitch and told her she would be sorry.
  Christina tells you that since the date Joe has
  continued to follow her around. She sees him
  waiting outside her school, in front of her
  apartment and he seems to show up anytime she
  leaves the house. She tells you she is afraid of
  him and that she lives alone with her mother who
  works until 1100 p.m. She further tells you
  that she has not told her mother because she
  would get in trouble for having gone out with Joe
  without permission. Joe was served with the TRO
  but he does not appear at the hearing.

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Is this dating violence?

• Ali and Marco are both 17 and were in love for 2
  years they had discussed marriage. One week
  after Ali graduates she decides to break up with
  Marco before she leaves for college. Marco still
  has his senior year of high school left. She
  tells him she does not want to see him anymore.
  For the week following the breakup he calls or
  text messages her up to 15 times a day, he comes
  to her home to try to speak with her everyday and
  has even jumped the backyard fence try to see
  her. Even after she leaves for college he is
  still calling about twice a day. Her first week
  of classes he drives up to her school, which is
  over a 100 miles away, to try to see her.
  Although she refuses to speak to him he sneaks in
  her dorm and waits for her to come home. When
  she tells him to leave, he does.
• Ali comes to court three months after the breakup
  and says Marco is still calling or sending text
  messages about twice a week. He has also called
  her friends to ask about her and keeps writing on
  her facebook. Ali wants this to stop and is
  seeking a restraining order. Marco tells you he
  is sorry, he wont do it again and that he is
  entering the sheriffs academy upon graduation.

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Is this dating violence?

• Alices mom comes to court for a restraining
  order against Matt. She explains that her 15
  year old daughter has been dating Matt who is 16.
  Since they started dating 6 months ago Alice has
  stopped hanging out with her friends, her grades
  have dropped a little, she cries a lot and only
  wears the clothing that Matt likes, never goes
  out without her cell phone and refuses to eat
  dinner with her family. Alice is present in the
  courtroom and tells you she doesnt want the
  restraining order and is in love with Matt. She
  further tells you it is her mother who is driving
  her crazy and that is why she so moody, she likes
  the clothes Matt buys for her, and she hates the
  family dinner.
• Matt tells you this is a crock. He always takes
  care of Alice because her parents wont and her
  friends are mean to her so he tries to keep her
  away from them so she wont get hurt.

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What is Needed

• Courts in collaboration with the community need
  to provide educational workshops and outreach
  events to educate teens
• Access to restraining orders
• Free batterers treatment programs specifically
  designed for teenagers

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What is Needed

• Dedicated teen victim advocates and peer victim
  services
• Shelter services must be expanded to accommodate
  younger victims
• Local teen hotlines to assist victim and abusers
• Teen mentor programs especially for those
  teenagers who do not have family support

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Where to Start

• The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault
  created a program, Students Taking Action for
  Respect (S.T.A.R.) students developed programs
  which teach teenagers about unhealthy
  relationships from an authentic
  source -- students themselves.
• Santa Clara, CA Juvenile and Family Law Court
  have developed a collaborative response to teen
  DV.

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Where to Start

• In late 2003 Brooklyn, New York started its
  Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court to
  address exclusively DV cases among teenagers.
  This is a criminal based court.
• However, it provides a dedicated judge and
  courtroom staff equipped to address the unique
  needs of teenagers, and linking victims and
  abusers to specialized services

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Resources for Court School ProgramsYouth
Referral Sources

• www.chooserespect.org/scripts/teens/teengetinvolv
  ed.asp
• www.loveisrespect.org/
• www.ncjrs.gov/teendatingviolence/publications.htm
  l
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• National Youth Violence Prevention Resource
  Center
• www.safeyouth.org
• Love Is Not Abuse
• www.loveisnotabuse.com
• Texas Teen Programs
• www.tsheriff.org/tdv-campaign.htm
• www.taasa.org/star/default .htm
• www.women-law.org/program