To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Proclaim February 2024 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT a resolution declaring February 2024 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month as recommended by the Employment & Human Services Director in partnership with STAND! For Families Free of Violence.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact for this action.
BACKGROUND:
February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, an issue that impacts all community members - teens, parents, teachers, friends, relatives, and more. Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse, STAND!, and other community partners are raising awareness about teen dating violence and promoting safe, healthy relationships.
This resolution seeks to encourage schools, community groups, families, and youth to hold and participate in programs and activities that raise awareness about the dynamics of teen dating violence and empower teens to develop healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
body
IN THE MATTER OF proclaiming February 2024 as Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month
WHEREAS, teen dating violence is a serious public health issue defined as physical, psychological or sexual abuse; harassment; or stalking of any person ages 12 to 18 in a past or present romantic or consensual relationship; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, in 2019, 1 in 12 U.S. high school students reported experiencing physical dating violence and the same number reported experiencing sexual dating violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2022 Teen Dating Violence Report, 19% of U.S. teens experience sexual or physical dating violence and about half face stalking or harassment and as many as 65% report being psychologically abused; and
WHEREAS, survivors of teen dating violence have increased risk for truancy, dropout, teen pregnancy, suicide, having eating disorders, and engaging in other harmful behaviors such as use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs , and
WHEREAS, teen dating violence is linked to bullying, sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence, and other forms of violence against peers. High school youth survivors are at higher risk for victimization during college, while teen perpetrators of dating violence are more likely to abuse their intimate partners as adults; and
WHEREAS, the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse recognizes that teen dating violence is preventable through efforts that foster caring relationships with adults and peers and provide meaningful opportunities for youth to participate and contribute. The Alliance supports prevention programs, such as STAND! For Families Free of Violence’s Youth Education Supportive Services (YESS), that help ensure a safe learning environment for all youth, promote resilience and positive youth development, and protect youth from abuse in relationships; and
WHEREAS, in the 2022-23 school year, STAND!’s YESS program educated 1,132 middle and high school youth about teen dating violence; taught an estimated 60 school personnel, service providers and parents, about the scope and causes of dating violence, including bullying and sexual harassment, and about healthy dating relationships; held sixteen 10-week long gender-based support groups at five high schools; and provided secondary prevention activities to 200 youth experiencing or at risk for teen dating violence; and
WHEREAS, STAND!’s Youth Against Violence team, comprised of teen leaders from several high schools, created “Abuse Ain’t Attractive,” a public service announcement, to stop the glamorization of teen dating violence in the media, reaching an estimated 121,000 movie-goers in Contra Costa County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that Contra Costa County does hereby proclaim the month of February 2024 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and encourages schools, community groups, families, and youth to hold and participate in programs and activities that raise awareness about the dynamics of teen dating violence and empower teens to develop healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives.
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