Today I am participanting in the Speak Out Against…Tour, brought to you by Moxie Writers Susan Oloier and Rebecca Green Gasper. With the recent release of both Outcast and Break
from You, both authors hope to shed awareness on the subjects of bullying and teen dating violence.
My take:
Over the years, bullying has reached epic levels of cruelty and the stories are endless. Taunted by classmates after she accused an older student of rape, fourteen-year old Samantha Kelly committed suicide. Nine teens cyber-bullied fifteen-year-old Phoebe Prince until she hung herself. What about fourteen-year-old James Rodemeyer who was relentlessly teased by kids because he was gay? On September 9, James wrote the following on his Tumblr site: 'I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so people will listen to me?'
Well, he killed himself.
On September 7th fifteen-year-old Amanda Todd posted the following video on YouTube:
On October 10th...Amanda was found dead in her home.
These children are just a few examples of how bullying has gotten way out of control. And teens aren't only being bullied to death; they are also facing another kind of abuse— teen dating violence. Here are some disturbing statistics taken from the Attorney General, via a 2008 study commissioned by Liz Claiborne and loveisrespect.org:
My take:
Over the years, bullying has reached epic levels of cruelty and the stories are endless. Taunted by classmates after she accused an older student of rape, fourteen-year old Samantha Kelly committed suicide. Nine teens cyber-bullied fifteen-year-old Phoebe Prince until she hung herself. What about fourteen-year-old James Rodemeyer who was relentlessly teased by kids because he was gay? On September 9, James wrote the following on his Tumblr site: 'I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens. What do I have to do so people will listen to me?'
Well, he killed himself.
On September 7th fifteen-year-old Amanda Todd posted the following video on YouTube:
On October 10th...Amanda was found dead in her home.
These children are just a few examples of how bullying has gotten way out of control. And teens aren't only being bullied to death; they are also facing another kind of abuse— teen dating violence. Here are some disturbing statistics taken from the Attorney General, via a 2008 study commissioned by Liz Claiborne and loveisrespect.org:
69 percent of all teens who had sex by age 14 said they have gone through one or more types of abuse in a relationship.
40 percent of the youngest tweens, those between the ages of 11 and 12, report that their friends are victims of verbal abuse in relationships, and nearly one-in-ten (9 percent) say their friends have had sex.
Nearly three-in-four tweens (72 percent) say boyfriend/girlfriend relationships usually begin at age 14 or younger.
More than one-in-three 11-12 year olds (37percent) say they have been in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.
One-in-five between the ages of 13 and 14 say their friends are victims of dating violence, such as getting struck, hit or slapped by a boyfriend or girlfriend, and nearly half of all tweens in relationships say they know friends who are verbally abused.
One-in-five 13-14 year olds in relationships (20 percent) say they know friends and peers who've been struck in anger (kicked, hit, slapped, or punched) by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Only half of all tweens (51 percent) claim to know the warning signs of a bad/hurtful relationship. In addition, significant numbers of teens (15-18) are experiencing emotional and mental abuse as well as violence when dating; it's even more prevalent among teens who've had sex by 14.
To stop bullying and teen dating violence, awareness is paramount. When it comes to abuse, it's important to speak out. I applaud both Susan and Rebecca for doing just so.
Outcast by Susan Oloier
Noelle dreams of a different life, one where Trina Brockwell doesn’t exist. Trina has bullied Noelle since junior high. Now she’s tired of it. With the help of her black-sheep aunt and a defiant new classmate, Noelle seeks revenge. But vengeance comes with a price: Noelle risks friendship, her first love, and herself to get back at those who have wronged her.
Break from You by Rebecca Green Gasper
Love shouldn’t hurt this much…Brooke Myers wants to believe
she has it all: the perfect guy, the perfect relationship, the perfect life.
She wants to believe it so much that she's willing to overlook the fear, the
isolation, and the pain her boyfriend has caused her. She knows it isn't right
but tells herself that love isn't always easy. However, when a fire destroys
the restaurant during homecoming dinner, she forms an instant bond with the boy
who saves her, one her boyfriend wouldn’t like. With the pain of a concussion
reminding her of how bad things can get, she is forced to re-evaluate the
relationship she has with her boyfriend and face the ghosts that haunt her. Brooke
once believed love was all it took…but is it enough? Is it truly love when
you've lost yourself in it?
Stop by the Moxie Writers blog for a complete list of tour participants. Also, be sure to check out this post where you can win copies of both books!
11 comments:
Samantha,
I am so saddened to watch Amanda's video. To hear of the countless other children who have to endure hatred in all its many forms.
Thank you so much for posting this and for helping to spread the word during the tour. I was bullied as in junior high and high school. This cycle has to stop. Bullies and violence among children needs to stop.
These stats are awful. And the video, well. I thought more folks were becoming aware. But I guess not. This is so sad. It's heartbreaking. Thanks for doing your part.
These stats are terrifying. I couldn't bring myself to watch the video, but I will definitely be checking these books out. It wasn't so long ago that I was a teenager, so I can still somewhat relate (I'm 30). I'm thankful none of these things ever happened to me, but I have younger, teen friends and I worry about what they're up against. Life is so different than when I was in high school.
This post is perfect for raising awareness on bullying and dating violence. The statistics are alarming and it is so important to speak out. Thank you so much, Samantha for this post and for hosting Susan and I on our tour. I love your blog and am so grateful to have met you.
Why?
This is ABOMINABLE! I knew the stats were off the bean, but THIS...
Thanks for posting this Samantha. Why aren't politicians doing something about this? instead of spending countless hours and zillions of dollars on campaigning, their should be PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS on this!
We live in such a beautiful world... why are children not cherished? Why is there SO much anger and hostility? These questions need to be answered.
I absolutely agree, Michael. The video has me wondering how many adult bystanders there were, too, who did absolutely nothing for Amanda--who do absolutely nothing to save our kids. And all the money wasted on political hate ads.
Thanks again for speaking out and speaking loudly. I love it!
Micheal, you are so right. I think it is so important to stand up and speak out against these issues so people will start to hear. It's for our children. Loveisrespect.org has been working on the Violence Against Women Act. And hopefully more things will come about. Thank you again, Samantha for hosting and bringing awareness to these horrible issues. And thank you, everyone for all your comments.
Michael (sorry about the typo :) hate when that happens. I hit publish and it was too late... )
This breaks my heart. I agree with you Michael. Politicians are so concerned about how to get the public to dislike their opponent, what about this. After watching Amanda's video, I'm amazed how no one stood up. What is wrong with the kids who kept going after her?And where were the adults? So sad.
I agree, Christine, it is so sad. I, too, wonder where adults are sometimes. So many want to turn away and not admit it could happen in their community. So sad.
After we think about the concise explaination the word love, installing relation to an amorous romance by using an additional, although like a emotion which is engendered for those who have miltchmonkey an improved marriage with ourselves very ( space ) or maybe as a a feeling of more significant oneness with your family and also the human race * it then gets a lot more magnificent that each one any person wants in everyday life is actually like.
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