Siouxland Campaign Targets Teen Dating Violence and Bullying

New new national research emphasizes the need for more parent and teen education

In partnership with United Way of Siouxland and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, and with the support of the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, the new 2009 public education campaign entitled “There’s a difference” to the general Siouxland public has been launched.  In addition, the campaign also includes an anti bullying message, called “Stop Bullying, Start Now."

The campaign highlights the difference between a healthy and a potentially dangerous relationship and is aimed at teens and their parents, using billboards, bus shelters, and bus boards, print, wallet cards, and a school site based campaign.  Earlier this spring, shortly after the story of entertainers Chris Brown and Rihanna broke, the campaign was introduced in the three Sioux City public high schools.  School staff and administration used homeroom periods and selected social studies classes to read, share, and discuss several articles on dating violence and abuse from nationally syndicated publications.  In addition, wallet cards highlighting the signs of potential dating abuse and bullying were also distributed. 

New research, commissioned by the Waitt Institute’s primary partner, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, with Liz Claiborne, reports “Nationwide 74 percent of sons and 66 percent of daughters say they have not had a conversation about dating abuse this past year. Even more troubling, the majority of teens who are in abusive relationships report they have not talked to their parents. Of the fewer than one-third who do confide in their parents, 78 percent report staying in these abusive relationships despite their parents’ advice. The research also indicated that approximately one third of parents were unable to identify some warning signs of abuse.

Locally, the Waitt Institute commissioned research in 2006 that indicated that 40% of Siouxland adult men had spoken to a boy but only 26% had spoken to a girl about violence. The Institute’s research did show that after seeing the Siouxland public education campaign in 2006, the number of adults who had spoken to a boy or girl about violence increased by 14%.  The study will be repeated in 2010.

School bullying has become a priority issue for the Institute, “We also made the decision this year to include an anti bullying message to the public education campaign.  Like teen dating violence, it’s a huge problem across the country.  Just about every day, we read about the devastation that bullying can bring to the target and their families”. 

The national survey also looked at the impact of a troubled economy on teen relationship abuse.  The release by the Family Violence Prevention Fund stated, “Teens nationwide are experiencing significant levels of dating abuse, and the economy appears to be making it worse. Nearly half of teens (44 percent) whose families have experienced economic problems in the past year report that they have witnessed their parents abusing each other. Sixty-seven percent of these same teens experienced some form of violence or abuse in their own relationships and report a 50 percent higher rate of dating abuse compared to teens who have not witnessed domestic violence between their parents.”