The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Groups work against dating violence

Dating abuse and teen dating violence continue to increase for girls and young women aged 16-24.
Groups+work+against+dating+violence

By Aja Witt

[email protected]

Most would agree that everyone deserves to be in a relationship founded on mutual respect and communication, and free from verbal, emotional, and physical abuse.Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Violence Prevention, this is not the reality for millions of Americans.

This month, the Women’s Resource and Action Center, the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, the Office of the Sexual Misconduct Response Coordinator, and the Rape Victim Advocacy Program have successfully used Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month to celebrate and advocate for healthy relationships.

In 2014, the CDC reported nearly 1.5 million high-school students nationwide had experienced physical abuse from a partner in a single year. Since 2014, these numbers have subtly gone up, not only for high-school students but for young women ages 16-24.

The numbers don’t stop there. Girls and young women of those ages experience “the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average,” according to the Center on Violence Against Women and Children.

The center, part of the Rutgers School of Social Work, aims to eliminate “physical, sexual, and other forms of violence against women and children and the power imbalances that permit them.”

Sarah Zaffis, the DVIP coordinator for client advocacy services, said these numbers may be reflective of dating inexperience or a lack of knowledge about what a healthy relationship should look like.

“Many of these young women are starting relationships up for the first time,” Zaffis said. “They are just learning what a relationship is … and they don’t have those years of experience that an older person might have.”

Zaffis said 43 percent of college women ages 18-24 report experiencing some form of violence in an intimate partner relationship in a single year.

Monique DiCarlo, the sexual misconduct response & UI deputy Title IX coordinator, said that in 2016, “there were 104 reports of possible dating and/or domestic violence.”

Forty-two of the incidents occurred on campus, 40 were off campus, and 22 occurred at an unknown location, DiCarlo said.

And while these numbers are traditionally seen through a heteronormative lens, Zaffis said, it is important to remember that intimate-partner violence also occurs in LGBTQI relationships.

In 2013, the CDC released the results of a National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey looking at rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.

Of those surveyed, 43.8 percent of lesbian women, 61.1 percent of bisexual women, 26 percent of gay men, 37.3 percent of bisexual men, and 34.6 percent of transgender respondents reported they had experienced intimate partner physical violence in their lifetime.

Iowa City and UI resources, such as WRAC and the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, help survivors recognize the signs, or “red flags,” of dating violence.

Rose, who works anonymously with Love Is Respect and LiveYourDream.org, said dating violence is about establishing and maintaining power and control, and is difficult but important to identify.

“In a relationship like that, I think the warning signs can be confusing,” Rose said. “A lot of the time, the abuser tends to word things like they’re trying to take care of you … But when you start to see somebody wanting more power and control within the relationship, that could be a red flag.”

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