Sunday, May 1, 2011

Government Leaders, Senior Policy Makers, Domestic Violence Experts Discuss Most Effective Ways to Stop Dating Violence Among Middle School Youth at Capitol Hill Event



        Domestic violence is a pervasive problem throughout all socioeconomic groups in American society. This article identifies the value of targeting middle school youth to end the cycle of violence.  Teen dating violence is the beginning of the perpetuation of domestic violence. One of the goals of the groups and individuals mentioned was to educate the public “about the debilitating problem of dating violence among our young people.”  This group (tweens) are at the beginning of their explorations of dating and romantic relationships and it is at this time in their lives where the most effective change in their perception of dating/family violence can be implemented. The article states, “Middle school is an important time in the development of an adolescent’s view of what a healthy relationship should be.  The importance of teaching healthy relationship skills early on is integral in the prevention of teen dating violence, which is far too prevalent and prevents far too many students from being able to focus on their education.” Tweens are given resources and support to identify signs of abuse and to get help. 
This effort has support from many diverse groups and political ideologies. A partial lists of the participants who are commonly aligned to end the violence include; The Family Violence Prevention Fund, Jewish Women International, Republican AND Democratic congressmen and senators, Department of Education, Department of Justice, MTV, Liz Claiborne Inc., and the Los Angeles Unified School District.  The Robert Wood Johnson foundation and Blue Shield of California Foundation have invested $18 million to support this cause. 
It had not occurred to me that dating violence is an issue among tweens.  It seems more obvious to me now that there is a direct connection between this and the more “visible” domestic violence issue. I am encouraged that so many diverse groups have joined together to raise the “visibility” of and begin an attempt to bring an end to dating violence.  Wouldn’t this be a great topic for a tween program in a school or public library?
Government Leaders, Senior Policy Makers, Domestic Violence Experts Discuss Most     
       Effective Ways to Stop Dating Violence Among Middle School Youth at Capitol Hill   
       Event. (2011, February 10). Targeted News Service. Retrieved from ProQuest  
       Newsstand. (Document ID: 2264263281).

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