1. Teens are experiencing an alarmingly high level of abuse in their dating relationships,
which the economic recession has appeared to make worse, according to a new study.
Study says nearly 1 out of 3 teens has been
abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Forty-seven percent of teens said they had
been victimized personally by controlling
behaviors from a boyfriend or girlfriend,
according to a study by Liz Claiborne Inc. and
the Family Violence Prevention Fund.
Nearly one in three teens in the study reported
sexual or physical abuse or threats.
And while the abuse can happen in person, this
digitally savvy generation has discovered the
power to communicate instantly also can be
used to abuse. Twenty-four percent reported
that they had been victimized with technology
by a boyfriend or girlfriend, according to the study.
Parents of abuse victims plan to bring light to the frightening statistics at a Senate
Judiciary Committee hearing today. Testimony from teens is scheduled for the hearing,
too.
Parents like Bill and Michele Mitchell of Columbia, Md., hope the testimony will put a face
on the statistics and help save others from a fate similar to the one their daughter
suffered.
Though the Mitchells will not testify at the hearing, they said they will appear at the press
conference announcing the study's results today.
Stories of Abuse
Just three weeks after the Mitchells celebrated their daughter Kristin's graduation from
Saint Joseph's University in 2005, the 21-year-old was murdered.
"The last time that I saw her alive was the day I met the guy that did it," Bill Mitchell said.
Kristin Mitchell's parents said they were unaware that their daughter was in a relationship
with a possessive and controlling boyfriend.
"You know, there's some issues, but we had no idea anything like this," Michele Mitchell
said.
The violence ended on June 3, 2005, when Kristin Mitchell died after being brutally
attacked.
She was stabbed 55 times. Her parents never saw it coming.
Recession Causes Increase in Teen Dating Violence
Study says 80 Percent of Teens know a Dating Abuse Victim

2. "You find out what happened and then the
next day you're in the funeral home
making arrangements. You're picking out
caskets," Michele Mitchell said.
But Kristin Mitchell's story is not unique.
Like Kristin Mitchell, 19-year-old Monique
Betty was pretty and popular. She also
was in an abusive relationship.
Nearly one in three teens report sexual or
physical abuse or threats, according to a
study by Liz Claiborne Inc. and the
Family Violence Prevention Fund.
"I was a cheerleader. And he was a jock.
And everyone liked him. We had lots of
friends," she said.
What began as an apparently picture-
perfect relationship soon "turned into a nightmare," Betty said.
The Pocatello, Idaho, native began dating her boyfriend in the seventh grade and the
abuse started small. Betty's boyfriend wanted to know her whereabouts at all times,
would belittle her and control who she saw.
He pointed out imperfections, made fun of her clothes and Betty even would have to talk
to him at sleepovers because he didn't trust her.
"I was so alone. Like, he started rumors about me and, like, I lost all my friends," Betty
said.
Things escalated to physical violence, with him pushing and grabbing her, she said.
But unlike Kristin Mitchell, Betty is a domestic abuse survivor because one day she
collapsed in her father's arms and pleaded for help.
"I was actually in denial that it was happening," said Betty's father, Tom Betty.
What Betty did is uncommon, because according to the study, two out of three teenagers
don't confide in their parents.
But his daughter's nightmare became the family's nightmare, too, when their daughter's
ex-boyfriend began stalking her. "You totally feel powerless," said Betty's mother,
Michelle Betty.
Monique Betty said her experience inspired her to become an anti-domestic violence
advocate. She said she believes she can use her personal experience to help other teens.
Recession Causes Increase in Teen Dating Violence
Study says 80 Percent of Teens know a Dating Abuse Victim

3. "I know that it's difficult. You don't want to leave. You're scared to leave. But there's
hope," Betty said. "There's people that will surround you and love you and help you get
out of it."
The Bettys and the Mitchells want to see schools add programs that warn young people
about teen dating abuse. Currently, only three states — Texas, Maryland and Rhode
Island — have prevention programs as a part of the required curriculum.
The Rhode Island law is called the Lindsay Ann Burke Act.
Burke, whose mother is scheduled to testify before the congressional committee today,
was murdered in 2005 after a two-year struggle in an abusive relationship.
Enacted in 2007, the law named after the 23-year-old requires all school districts in the
state to have a dating violence policy to address incidents at school. In addition, it
requires annual dating violence education for students between the seventh and 12th
grades.
Recession Causes Increase in Teen Dating Violence
Study says 80 Percent of Teens know a Dating Abuse Victim