Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Kaplan, Claire (cnk2r)" <>]

New Research Indicates Significant Numbers of Tweens in Abusive Rela 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Prevent-Connect/message/4150;_ylc=X3oDMTJyY3ZmZTBuBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzE0NTAwNDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTAxNTU5NARtc2dJZAM0MTUwBHNlYwNkbXNnBHNsawN2bXNnBHN0aW1lAzEyMTU2NDU4OTY->
Posted by: "Kim Wells" 

 
<mailto:?Subject=%20Re%3ANew%20Research%20Indicates%20Significant%20Numbers%20of%20Tweens%20in%20Abusive%20Rela>
   kwells2416 <http://profiles.yahoo.com/kwells2416>
Wed Jul 9, 2008 7:56 am (PDT)

NEW RESEARCH INDICATES THAT SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 11
ARE ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY AND THAT DATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE ARE PART
OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

ATTORNEY GENERAL PATRICK C. LYNCH, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
ATTORNEYS GENERAL, LAUNCHES A NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO ESTABLISH CURRICULA
ON TEEN DATING ABUSE IN SCHOOLS

The nation's leading experts find the number of tweens in abusive 
relationships staggering

Washington, D.C. - July 8, 2008 - A new survey reports today that a
surprising number of young adolescents are experiencing significant levels
of dating violence and abuse. One in five children between the ages of 13
and 14 (20%) say their friends are victims of dating violence and nearly
half of all tweens in relationships say they know friends who are verbally
abused. Alarmingly, 40% of the youngest tweens, those between the ages of
11 and 12, report that their friends are victims of verbal abuse in
relationships and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) say their friends have had sex.

Liz Claiborne Inc. and loveisrespect.org, National Teen Dating Abuse
Helpline, commissioned the survey on Tween and Teen dating relationships
that was conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) to explore how
relationships among young adolescents are fueling high levels of dating
violence and abuse.

Attorneys General Take Action

Recognizing the significance of this alarming trend in tween sexual activity
and dating abuse, President of the National Association of Attorneys General
(NAAG), Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, along with Nebraska
Attorney General Jon Bruning, introduced an unprecedented initiative that
was unanimously passed at NAAG's June meeting to ensure that all Attorneys
General work to incorporate a teen dating violence and abuse curriculum in
every school in their states.

"Over the past four years Liz Claiborne Inc. has conducted research into
the many aspects of teen dating abuse. What makes this current study so
disturbing is the clear and unexpected finding that dating abuse and
violence begins at such a young age," says Jane Randel, Vice President,
Corporate Communications, Liz Claiborne Inc. "We applaud the willingness of
Attorney General Lynch to push for the introduction of education about
dating abuse in schools across the country. This research shows just how
urgently this information is needed."

This Teen Dating Violence Education Resolution is inspired by the Lindsay
Ann Burke Act, a law proposed by Attorney General Lynch that became
effective in Rhode Island in July 2007. The Act, named in the honor of
Lindsay Ann Burke, who was murdered after a 2-year struggle in an abusive
relationship, requires all school districts in Rhode Island to teach about
the signs of dating violence and abuse every year from grades 7- 12.
Attorney General Lynch and Lindsay's parents, Ann and Christopher Burke,
will join Jane Randel at a press conference to announce the data findings
and the Attorneys General's new initiative to combat dating abuse.

"We are committed to addressing this issue through education. Abuse and
violence in intimate partner relationships not only cause great individual
pain, but this destructive behavior also breaks down families, communities
and our larger society," says Attorney General Lynch. "A curriculum such as
Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Love Is Not Abuse is an effective way to begin the
process of education, prevent abuse, and help to save lives."

Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Love Is Not Abuse curriculum aims to raise awareness
about the problem of dating abuse, recommend resources that provide
assistance, such as loveisrespect.org, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline,
and ultimately, help prevent dating abuse from occurring in the future. The
curriculum was piloted around the country in October 2005 and was officially
launched in April 2006. As of June 2008, this free curriculum has been
distributed to approximately 3,500 schools and organizations across all 50
states.

"We know from experience that education can be one of the best means of
prevention. My fellow Attorneys General and I are committed to ensuring that
education on teen dating abuse is provided in schools across America," says
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. "We are grateful to Liz
Claiborne, Inc., for their work on this important issue and look forward to
working with them to combat this problem and keep teens safe."

Experts comment on alarming findings and support education initiatives

To help analyze the new survey findings, Liz Claiborne Inc. recruited the
country's top ten leading experts on tween and teen dating abuse to assess
the data. Experts found high levels of tween and teen dating abuse combined
with a lack of knowledge from both parents and children on the signs of
harmful dating. The results clearly imply that there is a great need for
more parental education and involvement, and schools need to institute teen
dating abuse curriculum beginning as early as 6th grade.

"The survey's data on the extent of emotional and controlling behaviors
among tweens are the most critical additions to our current knowledge of
abuse in adolescent relationships," says Dr. Elizabeth Miller, Assistant
Professor in Pediatrics at the U.C. Davis School of Medicine. "The numbers
of tweens in relationships who report experiencing emotional abuse and
controlling behaviors are staggering. Clearly this shows that many young
people are already experiencing unhealthy relationships early on (even in
the absence of sexual activity), many recognize these behaviors as not
acceptable, but few know where to seek help or how to help a friend."

Among the key findings:

Dating relationships begin much earlier than expected

* Nearly three in four tweens (72%) say boyfriend/girlfriend
relationships usually begin at age 14 or younger.

* More than one in three 11-12 year olds (37%) say they have been in a
boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

Surprising levels of abusive behavior reported in tween (11-14) dating
relationships.

* 62% of tweens who have been in a relationship say they know friends
who have been verbally abused (called stupid, worthless, ugly, etc) by a
boyfriend/girlfriend.

* Two in five (41%) tweens who have been in a relationship know friends
who have been called names, put down, or insulted via cellphone, IM, social
networking sites (such as MySpace and Facebook), etc.

* One in five 13-14 year olds in relationships (20%) say they know
friends and peers who have been struck in anger (kicked, hit, slapped, or
punched) by a boyfriend or girlfriend.

* Only half of all tweens (51%) claim to know the warning signs of a
bad/hurtful relationship.

Significant numbers of teens (15-18) are experiencing emotional and mental
abuse as well as violence in their dating relationships; this is even more
prevalent among teens that have had sex by the age of 14.

* More than one in three teens report that their partners wanted to
know where they were (36%) and who they were with (37%) all the time.

* Among teens who had sex by age 14, it's much higher (58% and 59%,
respectively).

* 29% of teens say their boyfriends/girlfriends call them names and put
them down, compared to 58% of teens who had sex by age 14.

* 22% of teens say they were pressured to do things they did not want
to do, compared to 45% of teens who had sex by age 14.

* 69% of all teens who had sex by age 14 said they have gone through
one or more types of abuse in a relationship.

"As a sexuality educator, it is impossible for me to look at this data
without acknowledging the cultural implications and perhaps reasons for the
statistics," says Dr. Logan Levkoff, PhD, Author, and Human Sexuality
Expert. "I believe the biggest problem is that parents are not doing their
job. Parents are not talking to their teens about healthy and responsible
sexuality."

The survey found that parents think they know about their tweens dating
experiences, but many are in the dark about what their kids are actually
doing. Results show that:

* More than three times as many tweens (20%) as parents (6%) admit that
parents know little or nothing about the tweens' dating relationships.

* Twice as many tweens report having "hooked up" with a partner (17%) as
parents reported of their own 11-14 year old child (8%).

"The survey data demonstrates that although parents maintain they are
discussing relationships with their teens, this is not the same as
discussing violence and abuse in relationships," says Cindy Southworth,
Director of Technology, National Network to End Domestic Violence. "It is
clear parents need to talk to teens/tweens and schools need to encourage
healthy relationship programs at an earlier age. The survey indicates that
'tweens are involved in relationships that they consider serious,' thereforew
parents need to talk prevention before dating starts. In the same way that
parents currently tell 5- year olds that smoking is bad, they need to say
that people who love each other shouldn't hit/punch/kick/hurt each other."

###

Survey Methodology

Liz Claiborne Inc. commissioned Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) to conduct
quantitative research among tweens (ages 11-14), parents of tweens, and
teens (ages 15-18) who have been in a relationship. The research pertained
to young dating relationships and the presence/absence of sexual activity
and abusive behaviors. TRU independently sampled the three groups and
fielded a customized 15-minute survey online to each group from January
2-18, 2008; TRU chose online as the data-collection method for this research
not only because of its high penetration (92%) among this population, but
also because of the sensitive nature of the content, allowing young people
to answer candidly (i.e., no adult interviewer) within the context of their
preferred communications method. A total of 1,043 tweens, 523 parents, and
626 teens completed the survey, resulting in a margin of error (at the 95%
confidence level) of ±3.0 percentage points for tweens in total, ±3.9 points
for parents, and ±4.1 points for teens (±5.5 among those 17-18).

Liz Claiborne Inc.

Since 1991 Liz Claiborne Inc. has been working to end domestic violence.
Through its Love Is Not Abuse program, the company provides information and
tools that men, women, children, teens and corporate executives can use to
learn more about the issue and find out how they can help end this epidemic.
www.loveisnotabuse.com.

National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

The National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline is a resource that can be accessed
by Internet or phone. The Helpline and loveisrespect.org offer real-time
one-on-one support from trained advocates. The National Domestic Violence
Hotline operates loveisrespect.org, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline,
from their call center in Austin, Texas. Loveisrespect.org provides
resources for teens, parents, friends and family, advocates, government
officials, law enforcement officials and the general public. All
communication is confidential and anonymous. In the first year of
existence, Loveisrespect.org has received 5,455 calls and 3,026 chats with
the most common participant identifying themselves as a "victim/survivor".
The Helpline is operated by the National Domestic Violence Hotline and was
established through a gift from Liz Claiborne Inc.

National Association of Attorneys General

The National Association of Attorneys General was founded in 1907 to help
Attorneys General fulfill the responsibilities of their offices and to
assist in the delivery of high quality legal services to the states and
territorial jurisdictions. NAAG fosters interstate cooperation on legal and
law enforcement issues, conducts policy research and analysis of issues, and
facilitates communication between the states' chief legal officers and all
levels of government.

Kim Wells
Executive Director
Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence
2416 East Washington Street, Suite E
Bloomington, IL 61704
Ph: (309) 664-0667
Fx: (309) 664-0747
E-mail: 
<mailto:%<>>
 
<>
Website: <http://www.caepv.org> www.caepv.org
Blog: <http://domesticviolenceworkplace.blogspot.com/>
http://domesticviolenceworkplace.blogspot.com/

The Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence presents the S2 - Safer,
Smarter Workplace Conference November 6-7, 2008. To learn more,
<http://www.caepv.org/about/program_detail.php?refID=35> click here.


E-mail is not a confidential form of communication.  If you are concerned 
about this issue, contact me directly by phone at the number below. If you 
received this email in error, please delete it immediately and notify the 
sender.

Claire N. Kaplan, Ph.D.
Director, Sexual & Domestic Violence Services
Manager, Sexual Assault Program Coordinators List
UVA Women's Center
PO Box 800588
Charlottesville VA 22908-0588
http://womenscenter.virginia.edu/sdvs
434-982-2774 / 434-982-2361