AG targets teen dating violence

AUGUSTA – Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe and his counterparts across the country are making teen dating violence a priority as statistics indicate the scope of domestic violence among teenagers is significant.

“A third of all teens report some sort of abuse,” Rowe said. “That’s all types, from physical to emotional and sexual abuse.”

Rowe said that at its recent summer meeting, the National Association of Attorneys General recognized the seriousness of the issue and adopted a resolution calling on its members to do what they can to address the problem. He said the group recognized teen dating violence as a criminal problem, with 30 percent of the homicides of 15- to 19-year-old females at the hands of a boyfriend or husband.

“This is part of the overall problem of domestic violence that has a huge economic impact on the state of Maine,” Rowe said. “Here in Maine, it is estimated that domestic abuse and sexual assault [cost] our state about $1.3 billion a year. That’s the economic cost. We need to do more to prevent domestic abuse and sexual assault because it is affecting our economy.”

The Bangor-based Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence works with member agencies across the state to provide programs in 200 of the 670 elementary and secondary schools in Maine.

Nicki Blanchard, who directs the education and training outreach to Maine schools for the group, said cuts in state funding for domestic violence programs have made it more difficult to reach kids in need of help.

“We don’t have Maine-specific information; we have not had a study of just Maine,” she said.

“But we know from the teens that come up to us at the training sessions that we have a real problem in this state.” Blanchard said teens talk about their personal experiences and about friends who may be victims of teen dating violence.

A lot of the problem, she said, is controlling behavior by one teen in a relationship. “It’s the boyfriend trying to control who his girlfriend sees and talks to. It’s keeping the girlfriend from spending time with someone else. It’s controlling behavior.”

But all too often, Blanchard said, the controlling behavior escalates into physical and emotional violence, and the victim does not have enough experience to recognize that the actions are wrong.

“There is no doubt we need to do more, and the AGs are committed to doing more,” Rowe said. “I think we need to do more here in Maine.”

There are several regional programs across the state that provide a wide range of services to victims of domestic violence, as well as education and outreach programs that seek to prevent domestic violence among teens.

One of them is Caring Unlimited, which serves York County.

“We have the same problems as the rest of the state, and unfortunately the country,” said Jill Barclay, who directs the group’s education and prevention effort. “I would like to say we are in all the schools, but we are not. Some schools will not allow us to provide them our programs.”

Barclay said she is concerned by the attitude in some schools but also recognizes that schools are under a lot of time pressures. Some are reluctant to give up any time for teen violence prevention programs.

“This is so important,” she said. “I would like to see it be required in schools.”

So do the attorneys general. At their meeting they adopted a resolution endorsing legislation adopted in Rhode Island that mandates programs aimed at educating teens, and even younger children, about what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior.

Rowe said programs that “reinforce good behavior” should not wait for the teen years. He noted that studies have shown children in kindergarten exhibiting inappropriate behavior.

“We see young boys enter kindergarten already programmed to use controlling behavior over young girls,” he said. “It’s because they have seen [it] in their homes. It is passed on from one generation to the next.”

Rowe said it is important that good adult role models be provided to young children so they can see what appropriate behavior is and overcome the inappropriate behavior they learned at home. He said more programs are essential early in children’s development to reduce violent and inappropriate behavior when they are teens and adults.