Teen Dating, Relationship and Violence
Eunice M. Carrasco-Hill
GEN 499: General Education Capstone
Instructor: Melissa Rigney
April 20, 2014
Teen Dating, Relationship and Violence
Teen violence could be prevented, with proper parenting. Low self-esteem is the leading reasons for becoming a teen violence target. As we know each relationship is unique in his own way, there are a few normal situations that can be an issue to teen dating violence. Most cases the abuser may have once been a victim or witnessed domestic violence themselves, situations that could impact this type of behavior, the abuser could have been raised with strict views on masculinity roles or they could have develop a level of anger management due to witnessed her mother being abused by their father.
I selected teen dating violence because this is an issue affecting Eastern North Carolina, affecting teen mothers, high school students, and even middle school kids, are victim of dating violence. As the Community, and Hispanic Outreach Specialist for a Federal funded institution, for four counties in Eastern North Carolina, I have had the opportunity to work with many cases, from child abuse and neglect, homeless, poverty, drug addiction, hunger, HIV cases, domestic violence and the new trend teen dating violence, and one situation is connected to the other.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is an issue that I have to deal with in a daily basis for the past 15 years. The number continues to grow, and affecting more families in our community approximate 65% of the families I provide services too are teen mothers, some of the cases the young ladies are drug users, and some are homeless.
The institution I work for has a program es...
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...rkshop, open discussion once they leave the intervention they go back to the neighborhood where 7 out of 10 are victims of dating violence and most cases following the mother or father foot step.
In my area we have Hannah’s Place Inc. and My Sisters House providing intervention and even a place for the young ladies to stay and safe place to come and get the proper intervention, but it is so much these institution can do we limited resources and even enough bed to accommodate the victims.
I know they are many that do not agree with my discussion, but the reality people in my community and as I continue looking at the problem it is affecting teens nationwide, homosexual and, boys are victims too, the church is afraid to speak about the issue, the government in some southern states do not want to talk about the issue, and the problem continues to grow and expand.
Many people are uneducated when it comes to domestic violence, sexual violence, and teen dating violence. “Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence” (Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts). The statistics of domestic violence are alarming. “1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime”
The State of Texas and TCFV along with the city of Houston have recently hosted a program called “Partner to Protect: A Leadership Summit for Family Violence Programs and Law Enforcement.” This conference was formed to help victim advocates and law enforcement come up with better ways to respond to family violence in the community. The summit allowed advocated and law enforcement to share their expertise on domestic violence while explaining the in’s and out’s of associated with their jobs in order to help victims better understand any type of flaws that could happen during and emergency situation.
Significant studies have been done since the 1980’s, studies that include: how domestic violence impacts the family unit as a whole, treatment methods for the victims, family members, and offenders, as well as policing techniques.
Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Ruggiero, K. J., Danielson, C. K., Resnick, H. S., Hanson, R. F., Smith, D. W., et al. (2008). Prevalence and correlates of dating violence in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 755–762.
It’s easy for sexual harassment and relationship violence to be dismissed as only “adult” issues. On the contrary, these problems have proven to be pervasive in both junior and senior high schools. Although statistics show that “nearly half of students are sexually harassed in school” (Koebler, 2011), sexual harassment and dating violence are not being appropriately addressed in schools and are in essence, being shoved under the table. These are not fleeting issues, because sexual harassment and domestic violence can be particularly harmful to victims and have long-lasting, detrimental effects. One senior girl at Hoover High School said she has experienced sexual harassment and dating violence first hand,
...ces. In this project, local advocates and volunteers work in collaboration with schools, churches and community organizations providing educational presentations on the effects of domestic violence on children. Parents also learn non-violent parenting skills, enabling them to deal with their children effectively. They also provide a 24-hour crisis line, a place to sleep, clothing, food, medical treatment referrals, and assistance with reporting crimes to police and prosecutors. This program has helped reduce the crime, and strengthen the children?s self-esteem through community service. Relationship building is a prime focus, and they learn how to create healthy relationship with others. We still have a long way to go in the future. Activists must continue to promote public awareness of domestic violence, and help to make this country a better place to live.
Several studies identified a significant correlation among victims of teen dating violence and substance abuse. Those committing the act were more likely to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and victims show increase signs of substance addiction to cope (Temple et al., 2013). Victims of teen dating violence can have increased problems associated with mental health, sexual risk behaviors, sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, weight issues, and suicidal ideology (Maas, 2010). Teens who become young mothers have an increase risk range of 6% to 55% in the form of controlling school attendance, contraception usage, social independence, and financial independence (Herrman, 2013). As a result of these health problems students may become dropouts and achieve low academic score. 44% of female homicides are the result of dating violence from what was perceived as disrespect (Martin,
Violence is displayed everywhere in society through media like entertainment, in their schools and communities, and within their homes. It is difficult to imagine living in a world without some sort of violence due to it being so prevalent in society. Many children have been exposed to violence in their own homes or have become victims leaving detrimental short and long term effects. There are three forms of domestic violence in the homes. They are physical, sexual, emotional abuse. People often think of domestic violence as having bruises or a broken arm, but in reality it is an occurrence that happens repeatedly over a period of time. One study concluded “children in domestic violence shelters found that almost half their mothers had
Sexuality Today Newsletter "Violence in Adolescent Dating Relationships Common, New Survey Reveals" December 22, 1986 (reporting on a report in Social Work contact Karen Brockopp) pp 2-3.
On Friday, September 2, my supervisor Ms. Carla Hungate and I attended a monthly Douglas County Task force on Family Violence meeting held at Douglas County courthouse. The meeting attracts a wide variety of government agencies (court clerks, law enforcement, magistrate, probation officers, DA, victims advocate from the prosecutor’s office, and DCFS). Also, community members (shelter and victim advocates, Share House, FVIP, clergy, nurses, residents of Douglas County, nurses, and doctors). Interaction ranges from information sharing to community consultation and, in some instances, active participation in the county decision- making process. The agenda of the meeting was to educate the citizens and the community to better understand domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and how to prevent it and hold the perpetrators accountable. My supervisor held my hands and introduced me to everybody in the room. The meeting lasted for five hours. By the end of the meeting, alliances were created and partnerships between existing organizations built trust and mechanisms for joint action. REACTION
(ELEMENT 1) Today’s generation, dating violence is alarming in the teenagers who are engaged in a dating relationship. The very reason, why dating violence is alarming it’s because usually teenagers are early engaged in a relationship without knowing the consequences that it may bring. On the previous related study, the student ranged in ages from 18 to 40 years old, are most likely involved in dating violence. It is well established that the younger a couple is, the more likely there is violence in the relationship (Stets & Straus, 1989).
Falling in love with someone is supposed to be one of life’s greatest gifts. People fall in love, get married and have children. Sometimes life is not that simple for some people. Sometimes during this great time in their life, their partner becomes physically, mentally, and sexually abusive. So one would ask, why not leave and get out of the relationship? It is not that simple for the victim. Fear of their partner’s actions, concerns about their children, and their deep attachment to their partner are factors that cause people to stay in abusive relationships.
In supporting NIJ’s efforts to address teen dating violence, these results shed light
Domestic violence is skyrocketing in our society. In the U.S., as many as 1.5 million women and 850,000 men were physically assaulted by their intimate partner last year, and numerous children abused by their parents. These sad criminal acts will continue to grow in our society, unless our community takes action to stop these crimes.
Teen dating violence is an issue that should be taken seriously by utilizing various resources