Teens speak out about preventing dating violence

SPARTA — 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 teen dating violence. When pop star Rihanna broke her silence last year about her abusive relationship with former boyfriend Chris Brown, she put a face on teen dating violence, heightening public awareness. Pass It Along is doing its part to make teens and the community aware. On Feb. 24 at Sparta Methodist Church, Pass It Along held a youth council meeting to express the importance of being informed. Participants learned that although many cases remain behind closed doors, there are however bystanders in most situations — reportedly almost 40 per abuser. One in three teens in a serious relationship reports being hit or pushed by a partner and/or verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse. As a result of pressure from a boyfriend, nearly one in four girls report going further sexually than they wanted. Guest speakers Armin Tolentino and Abdul Saten, representing DASI (Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Intervention Services), gave a presentation to the teens on what they refer to as The Green Dot Strategy. Green Dot is a community-level approach to violence prevention that harnesses the power of peer influence to create a culture of change. The program targets all community members and seeks to engage them to establish intolerance of violence. This can reduce sexual assault and power based violence. The victim of teen violence may suffer physiological effects such as, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Although girls also abuse boys, boys and girls abuse differently. Girls suffer more physical abuse. Teens were told that it is okay to speak with others about what may be going on in a relationship that may be inappropriate or uncomfortable. DASI understands that it may be difficult to speak to others about things such as dating violence or sexual assault, and so has created a 24-hour phone number (973.875.1211) offering confidential help. For more information on this program visit The Green Dot FaceBook page.