Survivor of Teen Domestic Violence Encourages Students to Speak Up

By

November 6, 2023

Categories

Education

Tags

, , ,

Share

(NEW MILFORD, NJ) – A survivor of teen domestic violence recounted the abuse she suffered from her boyfriends and urged New Jersey high school students yesterday to speak up if they or anyone else was suffering abuse.

Danielle, who declined to give her last name, spoke to more than 200 high school students and faculty at New Milford’s Fifth Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium. The auditorium was silent as Danielle, now 29, described the assault, manipulation and humiliated she experienced as a teen.

Her voice quivered as she spoke of her first boyfriend, Nick. “Nick always got so comfortable punching me because it was a joke. Eventually, the joke wasn’t a joke. No matter what I did, it was always my fault.” Nick used Twitter to cyber bully Danielle and anyone who tried to defend her. Danielle’s second boyfriend, Joe, also used social media to harass and stalk her.

While she found healing through therapy, like 67% of New Jersey teen victims, Danielle did not report the incidents. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that one in three adolescents have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse from a dating partner, but many teens are too scared to speak up or are not aware of the resources available to them.

For help, teens can turn to the Violence Intervention Center of Bergen Community College, which offers a hotline with sexual violence advocate. “If they need a place to stay, if they just need a place to talk, if they just need a place to vent, that’s what we’re here for,” said Leonard Clark from the Violence Intervention Center of Bergen Community College.

Danielle told the students, “Please talk to your friends, to your parents, to your teachers, to your guidance counselors. They’re all here to help you. Remember, this is my story, and it doesn’t have to be yours.”

Related Posts

Clay Robison stands in front of the TSTA logo.

October 14, 2024

Funding, Gun Violence, and Vouchers: What Worries Texas Teachers

"At some point, some [teachers] are going to lose their patience, and they're going to leave and be replaced by less experienced teachers that may not be certified. The way to fight them is for political change," says union representative Clay Robison.

October 7, 2024

This New Jersey Town is Stepping up School Security in Light of Recent Threats

Linden, N.J. plans to address safety concerns with enhanced cameras, new visitor procedures and an app allowing parents, students, and teachers to report "concerns related to bullying."