This morning, Betsy Gotbaum criticized the Department of Education (DOE) for its failure to implement steps to curb teen dating violence. In June 2008, as a result of the increase in teens experiencing dating violence between 1999 and 2005, New York State expanded its domestic violence law to allow victims, including teenagers in dating relationships, to obtain a restraining order against an abuser in family court rather than going through the criminal justice system.
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “We are glad to see that teenagers in dating relationships are now including in a domestic violence law so that they can obtain restraining orders; but we need to do more at the school level to protect our teens. For almost four years now I have been calling on the DOE to examine this issue and implement changes. Most important: change the school transfer policy so that abusers, not victims of abuse, are the ones required to change schools.”
In 2005, Gotbaum released a report [pdf] which focused on the city’s role in educating adolescents about the risks of dating violence and offered recommendations to help protect teens. And last year, following a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report which showed that New York City youth reported an increase in physical dating violence and rape between 1999 and 2005, she sent a letter to Chancellor Klein calling on the DOE to take specific actions to do more to protect teens.
Read the full press release.
I believe that we need to bring domestic abuse/dating abuse awareness to High Schools because teens can be highly influenced and their views can still be molded at this age. I am glad to see that Betsy Gotbaum has criticized the Department of Ed. about their failure to implement steps to control and limit teen dating abuse. Teens that abuse will turn into adults that abuse. The only way to promote change is to bring awareness into the schools and start speaking out against it, start educating young girls, start getting information to adolescents early on. You would be surprised at how many teens are interested and yearning for this kind of information and domestic abuse/dating violence prevention. This message needs to be brought into health classes and information needs to be given out. Thank you for supporting awareness for domestic violence related issues and bringing these issues to the Dept. of Ed.
Maria Phelps
www.4survivors.blogspot.com
Posted by: maria phelps | January 26, 2009 at 05:18 PM