February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAPM), a time to raise awareness about this all-too-common issue, focus efforts on ending the violence, and share resources for teens experiencing violence, survivors, and their communities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana is proud to stand with survivors and share a new resource funded by the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), the Teens and Technology Resource Series. There is a significant intersection of technology and teen dating violence, and misuse of technology is an increasingly common tactic on the part of harmful partners. The Teens and Technology resources aim to help adults who teach, work with, and care for teenagers understand technology from their perspective to empower teenagers to safely navigate relationships and technology use. These resources include examples of technology abuse, uses and misuses of social media applications, and five ways to engage with young people.
United States Attorney Gathe stated, “With domestic abuse on the rise, it often starts with teens. Because young adolescents are some of our most vulnerable population, our office encourages adults and teens to take advantage of our Teens and Technology Resource Series. Hopefully, the more educated we are about teen dating violence, we can break the cycle that has plagued our community.”
“The pandemic has made everything more challenging – for children and youth, advocates across the country have reported an uptick in online abuse as younger folks spend more time spent online,” said OVW Principal Deputy Director Allison Randall. “The Teens and Tech Resource Series can help adults meaningfully engage with young people, empowering them to recognize abuse and unhealthy relationships, prevent future violence, and use technology safely. Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month gives us the opportunity to put a spotlight on these projects, as well as OVW’s year-round commitment to ending dating violence.”
The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Safety Net Project developed the Teens and Tech Resource Series in partnership with eleven24, a teen violence prevention program dedicated to reducing the prevalence of relationship abuse and sexual violence through media literacy and identity affirmation.
The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking, there are many services available to help, including: