by Toy Eldridge

'Love is Respect'

Hotline uses technology to reach teens.

T

echnology has made it easier for teen abusers to keep track of their victims through text messages, instant web chatting, and cell phones. A new national teen dating abuse helpline established by Liz Claiborne Inc. and The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) helps reach teens in a similar tech-savvy way. This new approach is specifically designed for teens and young adults

Sheryl Cates, CEO of the NDVH, said “We put together a youth task force to find out what is important, what do we need to know, and they gave us great insight about the majority of activity teens want to engage in based on peer to peer feedback.”

A recent survey on teen dating abuse showed the extent to which teens are using technology as a weapon in dating abuse and how unaware some parents are to the dangers presented to their teens with these new types of technology. According to Cates, “Our latest poll showed that 1 in 5 teens are experiencing teen dating abuse in their high school years. Our next generation is now experiencing violence at almost the same rate as adults, and this is alarming.” This new helpline is a place for teens to get information regarding all types of dating abuse.

Through the Web site called “Love Is Respect” and a toll-free number, teens can connect with trained peer and adult advocates. This is the first interactive dating abuse Web site that offers one-onone chatting between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m., as well as helpful guidebooks, quizzes, posters and informational tools. The phone line is open 24 hours-a-day. A new revamped version of the Web site will launch on Sept. 25 along with Facebook and MySpace pages.

More than 20,000 individuals visited the Web site in the first month of operation and the site receives between 60 and 70 chats a day. This is a place for teens and young adults to go when they can’t talk to anyone else or have questions about abuse. According to a youth advisor Sam Williams, “Some teens have a difficult problem and struggle with talking to anyone about domestic violence. The site is for those teens that live in silence with it. Now they can write anonymously on a blog and chat with peers.”

There are a lot of domestic abuse hotlines, but Williams remarks, “The adult lines are great for a broad audience, but Liz Claiborne and the NDVH understand that they are dealing with teens, and teens may become overwhelmed by the Web sites and information for adults. They wanted to have a site where teens could go and feel comfortable.”

Liz Claiborne has spent more than 10 years generating programs to help heal the issue of domestic violence. Each year, their Women’s Work program chooses a new position targeted to a specific group. The targeted campaigns all contribute to Liz Claiborne’s ultimate goal of helping create a society intolerant of abuse.

Connecting with teens on their level includes using technology they embrace to reach them. Williams hopes the site will appeal to teens, “We want it to appeal in a cool way for teens looking for help. There are a lot of helpful sites out there about teen domestic violence, but this site has a good look so it won’t be easily forgotten.” “Love Is Respect” is trying to use the best technology available to communicate with teens in the way they want to be communicated with.