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WASHINGTON -- The proportion of teens reporting date
violence in Connecticut was 13 percent -- the highest of all 50
states.
Compare that with 9 percent nationally, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is for
1999, the most recent year for which data is available.
Teen psychologist Jill Murray is pushing for federal
legislation that would inform teens about date violence and their
legal rights, such as retraining and protective orders.
Research published in the American Journal of Public
Health suggests that one in five high school girls is physically
or sexually abused by a dating partner -- and the Connecticut Children's
Medical Center has this statistic front and center on its Web site.
However, Kevin Borrup, director of the violence prevention
program at the hospital, could not explain why teen dating violence
is more prevalent in Connecticut. It could be that it is reported
here more often than in some other states.
By going to schools throughout the state and educating
teens about healthy relationships, Borrup said, his program aims
to prevent intentional and unintentional injuries -- from a "You
look fat" comment, to a "playful" shove.
What no one seems to realize, Borrup added, is that
physical abuse is as common in high school and college couples as
it is among married couples. Nearly 80 percent of girls continue
to date their abusers after the onset of violence, said Borrup.
"This is very serious."
Counselors at the Torrington-based Susan B. Anthony
Project also work with local schools to reach out to victims of
dating violence. "Kids are not wandering into our office. That's
not going to happen," said Barbara Spiegel, the organization's executive
director. "So we try to be present where they are." Last year, Spiegel
said her staff helped more than 5,000 teens in Torrington and 20
surrounding cities deal with everything from simple requests for
information to problems ranging from possessive boyfriends to put-downs
and even broken bones.
However, she emphasized, "A girl doesn't have to end
up with broken bones and be in the hospital for the relationship
to be considered abusive." Spiegel said teen abusers often learn
by example. "I think many teens have grown up in homes where there
is domestic violence," she said. Half of the men who frequently
abuse their wives also abuse their children, according to data from
the California Women's Law Center.
Stacey Violante Cote, project director of the Teen
Legal Advocacy Clinic at the Center for Children’s Advocacy, based
at the University of Connecticut School of Law, said some victims
don't speak out because they have no idea how to protect themselves.
"Not only are teens unsure of their legal rights in this area,"
she said, "but professionals working with teens are unsure of the
legal options available."
Violante Cote's clients are 16 years old on average.
Physical threats from a boyfriend or girlfriend are their most common
worry. She thinks federal legislation to educate teens on their
legal options is essential to helping victims of date violence.
The advocacy center, which runs legal clinics in Hartford
area schools and shelters, expects to open branches throughout the
state in the near future because of the rise in demand for its services.
The American Bar Association has become so bombarded
with date violence cases that it is sponsoring a National Teen Dating
Violence Awareness Week from Feb. 6-10, 2006.
Moira O'Neill, assistant child advocate at Connecticut's
Office of the Child Advocate, said the state will highlight the
problem during the week by sponsoring an ABA statewide conference,
events at high schools and discussions among prosecutors and judges.
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