The Big Picture: Georgia "Fails" To Protect Teens From Dating Violence

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Georgia "Fails" To Protect Teens From Dating Violence

Break the Cycle, an organization dedicated to educating teens about domestic and dating violence recently issued a report card which graded the level of legal protection each state offers teen victims of domestic and dating violence.

The report cards are designed to draw attention to the discrepancies between the protections afforded to adult victims of violence as compared to teen victims. States were graded on an A through F scale.Those states that do not allow minors to obtain restraining orders were given an automatic failure.

Georgia, along with fifteen other states, received an "F" because it does not allow people under the age of 18 to obtain a protective order without a guardian's permission. Only three states, (California, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma) received an "A". Break the Cycle has included suggestions in each state's report card on how to improve their grade.

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Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through physical, sexual, emotional, and/or financial abuse. Both men and women are capable of misusing power and perpetrating violence, and male victims are often just as afraid to call the police. More resources for female survivors exist, however, because overwhelmingly women and children suffer the most severe consequences (medical, legal, social, and financial) and therefore require the most intensive interventions.

Many women choose to stay in abusive relationships because they do not want their relationship to end...just the violence. Women often remain in, or return to, abusive relationships because their partners threaten to harm them and their loved ones if they attempt to leave. Commonly, women choose to leave when they become convinced that their life is at risk, or that their children are in danger.

Domestic violence is not just a "family matter". The violence will not stop until men and women come together with a common attitude of non-tolerance. We must speak out for those who may not feel safe speaking up, and our children must learn through our words and example that violence is never justified.