Utah teens share stories of dating violence

MURRAY — On a day devoted to expressions of love, the Utah Health Department Monday released disturbing statistics about teen dating violence.

A couple of young women who are survivors shared their stories in hopes of helping others. They call themselves survivors, not victims.

Nationally, one in four teens is in an abusive relationship. In Utah, it's closer to one in 10, but equal to the fear these young people have of someone close to them, is the fear of talking about it.

The booklet, "Teen Dating Violence, It Happens in Utah" tells the stories of six young women, ages 12 to 19, who were raped or beaten by young men they were dating or knew.

"It seems only fitting to release this booklet on Valentine's Day, a day that many choose to celebrate the love that they have for a significant other," said Katie McMinn with the Utah Department of Health's Violence and Injury Prevention Program. "Unfortunately, for too many of our young people, this love is often fraught with fear, humiliation and violence."

Sara, who is 16 and lives in Sandy, was 14 when she said she became involved with a 17-year-old boy who repeatedly forced her to have sex with him. She reported it and he was charged with six counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. It resulted in counseling and a written apology.

But Sara said the teen wrote about her on MySpace and she received text messages from him and his friends telling her to kill herself. She says she had to change schools because other students sided with him.

"I hope that other girls don't have to go through this," Sara said. "If I hadn't told my cousin what happened, I would probably still be with him or someone like him. Through this process, the things that have helped me were the support of my family and knowing I always had somebody to talk to, my counselor and understanding teachers.

"While none of this has been easy, I am glad that I told someone and that I pressed charges, because I am in a better place in my life now," she said. "I want people to be aware of it and know that it's real and people really do go through it and I want there to be more awareness of what goes on."

Bonita was 19 when she said a young man in her church group followed her to a park and raped her at knife point.