LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN TO INCLUDE FOCUS ON PREVENTING VIOLENCE IN TEEN DATING
Acknowledging Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, Paterson Emphasizes Need to Empower Teenagers to Seek Help

Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson and Amy Barasch, Executive Director of the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), announced that more than 7,000 public awareness posters have been disseminated for placement in every high school, middle school, and public library in the state. The posters kick off a new Teen Dating Violence Prevention campaign that promotes awareness of teen dating violence and empowers victimized teenagers to seek help from parents, schools, community organizations, or state agencies.

Lieutenant Governor Paterson, in a visit to Nottingham High School in Syracuse, also announced that Governor Eliot Spitzer and he have jointly issued a Proclamation designating the first week of February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. The Spitzer Administration was the first administration in New York to establish such a week when it did so last February.

Paterson emphasized the need for adults to advise teenagers about the danger of violence in dating relationships and encouraged teens to seek help from adults they trust, or to call the state hotline.

"The first step in solving a problem is admitting it exists," said Lieutenant Governor Paterson. “Teens need to understand that they do not have to accept abuse, and our parents and teachers need to be more aware that teenage dating can become violent. The state is taking the first steps towards creating a new atmosphere where at risk teens know they can get help from receptive adults who can intervene before abuse occurs."

Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson said: “As the newly appointed Chair of the Taskforce on Domestic Violence for the State of New York, I commend Lieutenant Governor David Paterson for taking this giant step in creating awareness of dating behaviors of teenagers. Hopefully, this awareness will help girls realize that they do not have to accept being in abusive relationships and if it occurs there is help available.”

Senator David Valesky said: “As a Legislator and a parent, I am pleased to partner with Lieutenant Governor Paterson to bring attention to teen dating violence. The expansion of the anti-violence campaign will encourage young adults to seek help and discuss healthy relationships with their parents and other trusted adults.”

Assemblymember William Scarborough, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families, said: “The prevalence of violence amongst our teenagers is an indicator that, as a state, we need to provide better after-school, job training and other programs for our young people. By properly reinvesting in our youth, we will see a reduction in the teen violence.”

Assemblymember Joan Christensen said: “Schools should offer a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Young people today face so many challenges and confront far too many problems that they feel forced to face alone. Raising awareness about teen violence through programs like the ones I have provided funding for in the Nottingham community will help us address this and other issues of teen violence. Teens who are victims of dating violence need to know that there are solutions for them.”

Executive Director Barasch said: “Teenagers receive confusing messages about signs of love in a relationship at the same time that they are testing out their own intimate relationships. At this significant developmental time in a child’s life, it is especially critical that we provide a way for them to seek guidance from the important adults in their lives.”

Syracuse’s school district this week placed posters in all of its schools. In order to reach as many teens as possible, the posters are available in six languages: English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Russian, and French. Several state agencies coordinated to place these images in state facilities where teenagers most often visit.

Twenty-four percent of 14 to 17 year olds know at least one fellow student who has been physically abused by a dating partner. Nearly 1 in 3 girls say they have been pressured to engage in unwanted sexual acts, while almost 1 in 4 say pressure has forced them to go further sexually than they preferred. Meanwhile, 81 percent of parents believe violence in teen dating does not occur or do not know if it occurs.

The posters showed the image of a young girl with a bar code and serial number displayed on her head. Immediately next to her is the message “You are not his property,” with advice that jealousy and possessiveness are signs of control that can lead to physical abuse. Please click here to see the image: http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/public_awareness/teen_dat_viol/property/
you_are_not_his_property_teen_mini-posters_english.pdf

Lieutenant Governor Paterson announced that the State’s “Coaching Boys Into Men” campaign is also expanding to include the dissemination of new pamphlets in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Haitian Creole. Kicked off in October 2007, this campaign has been appealing to male authority figures to teach boys respect for girls. Forty billboards with this message were placed along Albany thoroughfares last month along with thirty in the Buffalo/Niagara region. Television and radio public service announcements are also airing throughout the state, including Syracuse. The “Coaching Boys Into Men” campaign was originally developed by the Family Violence Prevention Fund in partnership with the Ad Council.

Lieutenant Governor Paterson and Executive Director Barasch were joined by representatives from the Syracuse City School District, Nottingham High School, and the Vera House which is a Syracuse-based nonprofit organization that provides shelter and counseling to domestic violence victims and organizes education programs.

OPDV is charged with improving the response of state and local communities to domestic violence and has been instrumental in moving these campaigns forward. The agency also provides guidance to the Spitzer Administration on policy and legislation; conducts statewide community outreach and public education programs; and trains professionals on addressing domestic violence.

The state hotline where teens and adults can seek help is 1-800-942-6906 or 1-800-942-6908 (Spanish Language hotline); and in New York City, 311.

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