The Daily Toreador - Student Newspaper of Texas Tech

Issue date: 3/8/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Kelly Matherly

The Texas Council on Family Violence and Women's Protective Services in Lubbock are teaming up to promote healthy relationships and raise awareness concerning dating violence for both high school students and college students.

The family violence council has launched a program called Red Flags, which is designed to address dating violence in people ages 16 years old through 24 years old.

"We want to educate youth about the signs of dating violence," said Jitin Hingorani, communications director of the Texas Council on Family Violence. "If they learn about healthy relationships, they're less likely to become victims of domestic violence."

According to the "Red Flags" Web site, http://knowtheredflags.com, dating violence encompasses more than physical violence. It is a pattern of abusive behaviors, physical and emotional, that one person uses to control another in a relationship.

"It's important to recognize the signs of abuse," Hingorani said. "In this age group, technology plays a part in creating abuse."

Hingorani said the signs of dating violence including constant text messaging to find out where a partner is and what he or she is doing.

High school and college-age individuals also frequently use e-mails to control a partner in a relationship, said Roy Rios, the communications director at Women's Protective Services in Lubbock.

According to the Red Flags Web site, a statewide survey of 16-to 24-year-olds showed that 75 percent of Texans in the age group have either experienced dating violence personally or know someone who has.

"That was very surprising to us," Hingorani said. "It's almost as prevalent as domestic violence."

The survey showed 60 percent of females and 40 percent of males had experienced dating violence, either as victims or abusers. Rios said men typically are viewed as the abusers, but that is not always the case.

"In our society, men are empowered," he said. "They're the leader of the pack, and they're supposed to work hard and keep their families under their thumb. With that kind of mentality, it's especially difficult for a man to admit he's being abused, so a lot of it goes unreported."

Rios said despite the name, Women's Protective Services also helps men, but many men are embarrassed to ask for help.

"A man's role in society makes him embarrassed to reach out for help in a dangerous situation," Rios said. "There's help out there for them, but it's hard to say 'I need to call Women's Protective Services for help.'"

Continued...

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