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Austin to host national teen dating violence hot line

Date: 2006-09-25

Nicci Avey didn't pick up on the warning signs.

The Austinite was 15 and in her first "real relationship" when her boyfriend began calling her names, isolating her from her friends and demanding that she spend all of her time with him. Avey thought that's how relationships went.

Then one night in October 2003, the abuse became physical.

In a rage, Avey's boyfriend pushed her off his couch and began throwing things at her. He hit her in the jaw and tried to choke her. When she escaped from his house, she found herself stranded.

"I didn't know what to do," said Avey, now 18. "I knew I shouldn't call my parents, and I couldn't call the police. It just would have been too complicated."

Now, domestic violence prevention advocates are making sure that teens like Avey always have a place to call.

On Wednesday, the Austin-based National Domestic Violence Hotline and Liz Claiborne Inc. announced the launch of the first dating violence hot line specifically for teen callers.

The service, set for a February launch, will operate from Austin through the original hot line and serve teens nationwide.

Liz Claiborne, which has been studying domestic violence since 1991, will pay for the hot line.

Jane Randel, the company's vice president of corporate communications, said the hot line will be a venue for teens to feel comfortable talking about abuse issues.

"The resources for teens are not nearly as developed . . . as they are for adults," Randel said. "If we really want to break the cycle, we need to reach out to kids when they're starting to form relationships."

Randel said the service is an extension of a movement to end domestic abuse among teens. The company's efforts began in 2005 with the launch of a curriculum called Love is Not Abuse, which teaches teens nationwide about domestic abuse.

The national resource coincides with a Travis County sheriff's office campaign to combat teen dating violence through public service announcements and youth outreach activities.

Sheryl Cates, chief executive of the National Dating Violence Hotline, said 10 percent of the 20,000 callers counseled each month are between the ages of 13 and 24.

Cates expects to handle about 1,000 teen calls a month through the new line. The teens' calls require 20 minutes or more of counseling, she said, compared with the average 12 minutes an adult call requires.

To cover the heavier call load, the hot line will get another 15 full-time staff members and about 25 teenage volunteers from the Austin area.

The teens will be trained by adult coordinators to counsel their peers on the hot line from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m., when a large number of calls come in. All counselors will be available 24 hours a day year-round.

"The younger we begin to focus on these issues the sooner they will eventually end," Cates said.

Spreading awareness is Avey's mission, too. She now speaks to teens nationwide about her experience so that they can identify an abusive relationship before it escalates.

"I hope to save lives," Avey said. "Teens will start realizing that what you see in abusive households is not what it's supposed to be."

fjarosz@statesman.com; 445-3658

Fast facts

1 in 3 teenagers report knowing a peer who has been physically assaulted by their partner.

Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up.

1 in 7 teenage girls who said they have been in a relationship report being physically hurt or hit.

Hot line: Call the National Dating Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.

For more information: Visit the Travis County sheriff's office Teen Dating Violence campaign at www.tcsheriff.org.





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