In 2010, Liz Claiborne Inc. and DoSomething.org partnered up to create the Love Is Not Abuse Teen Task Force to give all teens nationwide, the tools and resources they need to bring dating violence and abuse to the national stage by taking action and encouraging adults to do the same. Although the year-long partnership has formally come to an end, we promise to continue the mission of the Teen Task Force.
With your help, we can get each state to require that teen dating abuse education be taught in every middle and high school. Right now, there are approximately 20 states such as Rhode Island, Texas and Ohio that have passed these kinds of laws.
Why should you get involved? Research we did with kids just like you shows how urgently we need to do something about this growing, but silent issue:
- Nearly 1 in 3 teens who have been in relationships have experienced the most serious forms of dating violence and abuse including sexual abuse, physical abuse, or threats of physical harm to a partner or self.
- Almost half of teens have personally been victimized by controlling behaviors.
- Only 25% of teens report having a course on dating abuse in school and only 30% of parents say their child's school provides resources.
- However, among the teens who said they took a course, 75% say it helped them learn about the signs of abusive relationships.
Need more motivation on getting started? Last spring, DoSomething.org launched a 1in3 initiative to fight teen dating abuse and received requests for over 100,000 1in3 bracelets from teens all across the country. We know you're interested and we're here to help you accomplish more!
