Gov. John Carney signed a proclamation declaring February 2023 as Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month in Delaware.
Surrounded by politicians, education stakeholders and Delaware Family Court officials, Carney outlined the need to help keep young Delawareans safe from dating violence.
“The idea that young boys and girls experience this kind of thing early in life is really kind of hard to reckon with,” Carney said.
Family Court Chief Judge Michael Newell said data on dating violence in schools has been altered by the pandemic.
“But if we look back two years, we’ve had a significant, marked increase in teen dating violence and incidents of sexual harassment, unlawful sexual conduct in our schools.”
Newell said Delaware Department of Education data show 74% of school age dating violence incidents reported were in elementary and middle schools.
Sue Ryan, executive director for the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the state is investing in long term advocacy and prevention of teen dating violence.
“It impacts both physical and the emotional health of teens. It can lead to, of course, poor school performance, depression, physical injuries, uses of substances. Then it can also carry forward into adult relationships as well,” Ryan said.
The Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council reports nearly 9% of Delaware high school students have experienced physical dating violence.
Nationally, nearly 1.5 million high school students are physically abused by dating partners every year, per the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence