The images are violent — a teenager with a black eye, a couple on a date that takes a turn for the worse when he accuses her of wearing a dress to attract attention from other boys. But then there’s advice, kind words from a teacher figure encouraging the teens to seek help from adults, to leave an abusive partner.
TeenCentral.net, an offshoot of the nonprofit KidsPeace, a private charity with six Maine offices, recently released a graphic novel called “A Good Date Gone Bad,” aimed at getting kids talking about dating violence.
Dating violence, even among teens, is not an uncommon occurrence. According to the advocacy group Break the Cycle, nearly 1.5 million high school students nationally experience violence from a dating partner each year.
It’s also a problem that Maine advocacy groups have paid increased attention to during recent years, particularly because it can be the start of a pattern of abuse.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, among those who ever experienced rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner, more than 22.4 percent of female victims and more than 15 percent of male victims previously experienced some sort of similar violence.
“What it comes down to is that many victims first experience violence in their teen years,” Regina Rooney, public awareness coordinator for the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence
She added, however, that Maine groups have stepped up to try and lower those numbers. Last year, 39,973 youth participated in thousands of educational presentations offered by MCEDV.
Julius Licata, director of TeenCentral.net and its sister site ParentCentral.net, said the organization received funding for the graphic novel from a Verizon Wireless grant. He said the money gave them a chance to create something teens would connect with.
“We realized that there’s a lot of ways we could present {dating violence}, but we wanted to present it in a way that kids would take it to heart,” he said. “So we made it look very appealing.”
The booklet is available online and is part of a larger domestic violence section of the site. Teens are able to navigate through not only statistics and information, but also play related interactive games.
So far, Licata said the reaction has been positive. A few teens have written to say they’ve seen the booklet while searching the site and appreciate the advice. It’s encouraging that the message is coming across, he said.
“We want them to know that even if the person says ‘I love you’ … you’re not to be a punching bag,” Licata said. “We want our kids to understand that regardless of what someone says to you, if they abuse you in any way, it’s time to walk away.”
