LACP.org
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loveisrespect.org
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

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P.O. BOX 161810, Austin TX 78716
512.794.1133 | Fax: 512.794.1199
  loveisrespect.org
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
www.loveisrespect.org

About loveisrespect.org

loveisrespect.org provides resources for teens, parents, friends and family, Peer Advocates, government officials, law enforcement officials and the general public. All communication is confidential and anonymous.

What is loveisrespect?

loveisrespect.org, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline was launched in February, 2007 through a collaboration between The National Domestic Violence Hotline and Liz Claiborne Inc. It is a 24-hour national web-based and telephone helpline created to help teens (ages 13-18) experiencing dating abuse.

 
“If teens are not turning to their parents for help, it is essential that they have a private outlet where they can discuss their fears with someone who will provide immediate assistance” said Sheryl Cates, Chief Executive Officer of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Texas Council on Family Violence. “This helpline and website were designed exclusively for teens so they can speak to a peer advocate anonymously and confidentially.”

The helpline is available toll free at 866-331-9474 or TTY 866-331-8453. Individuals can also log on to the interactive Web site loveisrespect.org, and receive immediate, confidential assistance. loveisrepect.org is one of the first interactive dating abuse websites staffed by trained peer advocates, where teens can get immediate assistance in a one-on-one private chat room.

Liz Claiborne Inc. initiated and funded loveisrespect.org with a multi-year, million dollar grant as part of the companyʼs commitment to help end teen dating abuse across the nation. The helpline and website are both operated by the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

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Teen Dating Abuse Statistics

The following data is comprised from the American Bar Associationʼs Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Toolkit
http://www.abanet.org/unmet/teendating/facts.pdf

A comparison of Intimate Partner Violence rates between teens and adults reveals that teens are at higher risk of intimate partner abuse. Jay G. Silverman et Al, “Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality.” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 286, 572, 576-577, (Nov. 5, 2001).

Females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group – at a rate almost triple the national average. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-99 (Oct. 2001, rev. 11/28/01).

Among female victims of intimate partner violence, a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend victimized 94 percent of those between the ages of 16-19. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics,7, (2001).

Between 1993 and 1999, 22 percent of all homicides against females ages 16-19 were committed by an intimate partner. Bureau of Justice Statistics Press Release, “Violence Rates Among Intimate Partners Differ Greatly According to Age,” (10/29/01).

Half of the reported date rapes occur among teenagers. California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) 2002 Report: Research on Rape and Violence, http://www.uasasonoma.org/teensite/statistics.htm#Child/Teen%20Vicitmization, (Last Visited 10/1/04).

Intimate partner violence among adolescents is associated with increased risk of substance use, unhealthy weight control behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, pregnancy, and suicide. Molidor, Tolman, & Kober, (2000); National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, (2001).

Fifty percent of teens know someone who has been physically, sexually, or verbally abusive in a dating relationship. Liz Claiborne Inc., Conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, (February 2005).

Forty five percent of girls know a friend or peer who has been pressured into either intercourse or oral sex. Liz Claiborne Inc., Conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, (February 2005).

One in three teens reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped or physically hurt by their dating partner. Liz Claiborne Inc., Conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, (February 2005).

Only 33 percent of teens who were in an abusive relationship ever told anyone about the abuse. Liz Claiborne Inc., Conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, (February 2005).

Among 13-18 year old teens who have been in a relationship, 15 percent said theyʼve had a partner hit, slap, or push them. Four percent of teens agreed that itʼs okay for someone to hit their partner if they really did something wrong or embarrassing. More Hispanic teens (13 percent) reported that hitting a partner was permissible. Liz Claiborne Inc. Teen Relationship Abuse Survey 3/2006

Thirty percent of 13-18 year old teens reported worrying about their personal physical safety in a relationship. Liz Claiborne Inc. Teen Relationship Abuse Survey 3/2006

Twenty percent of 13-18 year old teens who have been in a serious relationship have been hit, slapped, or pushed by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Liz Claiborne Inc. Teen Relationship Abuse Survey 3/2006
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Teens and Technology
Increasingly, teens are reporting abuse through popular technologies such as cell phones, instant messaging, and emails.


One in three teens who have been in a relationship says they've been text messaged 10, 20, or 30 times an hour by a partner finding out where they are, what they're doing, or who they're with.

Seventeen percent say their partner has made them afraid not to respond to a cell phone call, email,IM or text message because of what he/she might do.

One in five teens in a relationship have been asked by cell phone or the internet to engage in sexual activity when they did not want to.


Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) for Liz Claiborne Inc, January, 2007

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loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline is dedicated to helping teens by being available in any way possible. In addition to our telephone helpline which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we also reach out to teens through the technologies they frequently use:


Chat Advocacy:
Peer advocates offer live chat advocacy between the hours of 4pm-2am CST. All chats are hosted securely on our server. No IP addresses are collected and chatters remain anonymous. As part of regular safety planning, chatters are encouraged to use a safe computer when communicating with us.

Social Networking:
loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline maintains a presence in popular social networking sites such as Myspace. Our profile can be found at www.myspace.com/ntdah. We also have profiles on both facebook and Twitter.

LIR Blog:
loveisrespect.org features a blog that covers various topics such as teen dating abuse in the news, healthy relationships, technology safety, teen volunteerism, and ideas for community outreach. Celebrity guest bloggers are also featured.


Sheryl Cates, CEO
Texas Council on Family Violence,
National Domestic Violence Hotline & loveisrespect,
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
(1-800-799-SAFE, TTY 1-800-787-3224)
www.ndvh.org and
www.loveisrespect.org
Austin, TX

Bio
In March of 1999, Sheryl Cates became the leader of the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) as well as the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH).

The Texas Council on Family Violence is one of the largest domestic violence coalitions in the country serving domestic violence programs and battered women in Texas.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is the only service of its kind connecting people in crisis to more than 5,200 sources of help in communities across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Hotline operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year and has answered more than 1.7 million calls since 1996.
loveisrespect.org, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline was launched in February 2007. loveisrespect is a 24-hour resource for teens experiencing dating abuse. It is specifically designed with teens and young adults in mind, operating around the growing technologies that they use most often: the phone, web and chat.

Sheryl has more than 23 years of experience in the movement to end violence against women. Sheryl Cates is recognized as a national leader in the effort to end domestic violence. She was recently given the Legacy Award from the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community. Sheryl has been prominently featured as an expert in the field on The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABCʼs Prime Time, The Queen Latifah Show, The John Walsh Show, CBS Saturday Early Show, The Montel Williams Show, and Court TV. Sheryl has been a featured speaker at a roundtable dialogue at the White House to provide feedback on family violence programs to Attorney General John Ashcroft and Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. Sheryl has also made two appearances with former President George W. Bush at the White House to promote family violence policies.

Nominated as Lubbockʼs Woman of the Year in 1998, Sheryl is also the recipient of the Liberty Bell Award, Lubbock County Young Lawyers Association; the Citizen of the Year Award, National Association of Social Workers; and the Women Helping Women Award, Soroptimist International.

Sheryl is a Leadership Texas graduate and has served on the boards and as a member of a number of community service organizations including the Texas Council on Family Violence Board of Directors, where she served for five years and was Chair from 1997-1998. She has served on the Advisory Board to the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, American Bar Association/Commission on Domestic Violence, Violence Against Women National Advisory Council, WomensLaw.org, Allstate Foundationʼs Domestic Violence Program, National Network to End Domestic Violence, and Cut-it-Out. She has also served in an advisory capacity for the Texas Governorʼs Commission for Women, and in a leadership capacity on the Council for Crime Victims for the Texas Office of the Attorney General.