Currently, there is little to no legislative protection to prevent teen dating violence, but two Ohio bills introduced last week could help protect teens already in abusive relationships.
House Bill 10, sponsored by Rep. Edna Brown (D-48th District) would allow juvenile court judges to issue protection orders against other juveniles, said Mercy Sutyak, Brown's legislative aide.
Brown first introduced legislation after reading about the murder of Shynerra Grant, a Toledo-area teen who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 2005.
Rep. Brown spoke with the family and found out they tried to get a protection order when the ex-boyfriend became abusive but couldn't
Sutyak said.
Other teens have also been severely injured or killed across Ohio, said Nancy Neylon, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
This is the third time that Brown has introduced legislation to protect teens against violence. The last time the bill passed the house, but not the senate, Neylon said.
House Bill 19, sponsored by Rep. Sandra Harwood (D), would require all Ohio schools to provide teen dating awareness and prevention programs. The State Board of Education would also have to develop dating violence policy.
Although the bills have only been assigned to House committees, Neylon said she hopes people have become more aware of teen dating violence.
Most people are familiar with adults in abusive relationships but people don't realize or are in denial that teens could also be in physically and emotionally abusive relationships she said, adding that most teens know someone in an abusive relationship.
Teens in abusive relationships have long-term consequences in addition to the physical and emotional abuse they might be going through now, Neylon said.
These are typically teens with low self-esteem
and abusive relationships tend to normalize violence so they may end up in a future abuse relationship
she said.
Neylon said ODVN, a statewide coalition that works to prevent domestic violence, provides some training about how to handle teen dating abuse, but it is not enough to help stop the violence.
We need statewide (school) policies that don't stop at educating victims about violence but informs parents and all students about what makes a healthy relationship and how teens can get support
she said.
Gov. Ted Strickland has already recognized this problem. Earlier this month he declared Feb. 2 through 6 Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week to encourage Ohioans to learn more about teen dating violence.
For more information about domestic abuse or to get help, call the ODVN at 800-934-9840.
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Jessica Neidhard
