Love is in the air and the City of Natchitoches, Child Advocacy Program and LYE invite community members of all ages to create Valentine’s Day gifts Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Skybox Building, 625 MLK Drive. This is free to attend and arts and crafts materials will be provided. There will also be a discussion on avoiding teen dating violent, loving yourself and others and a gift basket giveaway.
For more information, call (318) 214-7911/(318) 214-4002 or email dsanders@natchitochesla.gov/sonya.confident@gmail.com.
February is also Teen Dating Awareness Month. The Community Counseling Center at the Child Advocacy Program want to make the public aware with the teen dating violence statistics
- Roughly 1.5 million high school boys and girls in the US admit to being intentionally hit or harmed in the last year by someone they are romantically involved with.
• Only 33 percent of adolescents who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.
• 81 percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t
• Young women between the ages of 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average.
• One in five teens admit to being emotionally abused in the past year.
• Adolescent girls who have been physically or sexually abused are six times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to get a STI.
• Teens who suffer dating abuse are subject to long-term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, promiscuity, thoughts of suicide and domestic violence.
How can we make a difference?
- Encourage parents to talk with their teens about healthy relationships.
- Ask teachers to hold classroom discussions about dating violence and prevention by inviting speakers to talk about these issues.
- Help schools create policies that support healthy relationships and involve student voices.
- Utilize local counseling services and therapists to learn coping skills and find a safe space to talk.
The Child Advocacy Program offers free support services. For more information, call (318) 214-4002.