On April 17^th, Johanna Orozco, an advocate for the prevention of dating violence, spoke to high school students at Salem Senior High School in Salem, Ohio. Orozco addressed warning signs to look out for, which could indicate an abusive relationship, and gave an in-depth, detailed and compelling story of her very own experience with dating violence.

Orozco has witnessed first hand and  knows all too well what a violent, volatile and abusive relationship can do to someone.

Her first love started out like most others. At the beginning, it seemed like a fairy tale come true. Orozco met her first love, Juan Ruiz, when they were kids, and started dating when Orozco was in the tenth grade. “They were the ideal couple. Everyone wanted to be like Johanna and Juan,” said Lincoln West High School drama club supervisor Catherine Zak. “They were outgoing, personable and very much in love.”

However, their relationship made a drastic turn for the worse when Ruiz grew controlling, jealous and abusive. When Orozco removed pictures of them together, Ruiz snuck into her bedroom in the middle of the night and raped her at knifepoint. After authorities were contacted, Ruiz was arrested.

According to ABC News, “Ruiz was released from the detention center and placed on house arrest when he visited Orozco March 5, 2007. While she was sitting in the driver’s seat of her SUV in her grandparents’ driveway, he shot his former girlfriend in the face. Glass and blood covered the floor of the vehicle. Orozco was rushed to the hospital.”

After Orozco was shot, “she was missing her entire chin, most of her neck and her upper lip.” She also lost almost all of her teeth in the attack and now suffers from paralysis of her lower lip. Her surgeon, Dr. Michael Fritz, performed over a dozen procedures in order to get Orozco’s face to look as much as possible like she did before the shotgun blast. In order to see Orozco’s transformation please visit, http://abcnews.go.com/2020/slideshow?id=8762450.

After she was released from the hospital, Orozco went back to high school and even attended prom and graduation. Her original plans were to go to college, but after all that she had endured and the support in letters, e-mails and cards from people all over the country, she had a change of heart and decided she wanted to become an advocate to help young people learn the dangers of abusive relationships. And despite all she has endured at the age of just 23, she is moving forward and speaking out, telling her inspirational story of perseverance, strength and courage.

Orozco is now very active in the Cleveland region where she was raised, and speaks at engagements regularly to spread the word about dating violence. Since her tragedy, laws have been passed in the state of Ohio in order to further protect victims of abusive relationships. In 2010, the Ohio Senate approved a bill that allows judges to protect teens in abusive relationships.

As for Ruiz, he pleaded guilty for everything he had done to Orozco in 2007 and was sentenced to 27 years in prison without the eligibility for parole.

According to the book, “Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Sociality,” one in five female high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. And according to the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 30% to 50% of female high school students have reported some form of teen dating violence. But what about the teenagers who aren’t reporting what’s happening to them?

Whether you have been a victim of an abusive relationship or not, it is increasingly important to raise awareness about what is happening to the youth of today’s society. To learn more statistics about dating violence amongst teenagers, warning signs to look out for and how to be safer and smarter when it comes to dating, be sure to check out www.acadv.org. If you feel that you are at risk, please contact the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-650-6522.

The article Johanna Orozco, Dating Violence, and How it’s Making a Difference appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

A new public awareness campaign has debuted in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise awareness of abuse in teen relationships and encourage local youth to get help.

Launched to coincide with Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in February, the campaign is a partnership between INOBTR (“I Know Better”), a non-profit organization focused on educating kids through public awareness to keep them safe, and the California Adolescent Health Collaborative (CAHC), a public-private statewide coalition of individuals and organizations that works to increase understanding and support of adolescent health and well-being.

The campaign is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Teen dating violence is defined as a pattern of physically, sexually, verbally, or emotionally abusive actions committed by a partner to establish control over the other. The abusive behavior may occur in a dating or similarly defined relationship where one or both persons are a minor.

According to Liz Claiborne Inc. and Futures Without Violence (formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund), nearly one in three teens who have been in relationships have experienced dating violence or abuse, such as extreme jealousy or insecurity, threatening or humiliating emails or text messages, and isolation from family or friends.

“These numbers are sobering, and far too many teens suffer silently in abusive relationships,” said Melodee Hanes, Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. “Working together, we need to do what is right for America’s children.  We are pleased to partner in this effort to spread the word about teen dating violence and, most importantly, help teens know they can stop it.”

The campaign is comprised of educational public service ads that will run on San Francisco MUNI bus lines, BART trains and station platforms, AC Transit buses and at the Westfield San Francisco Center Mall during February.  In addition, grassroots materials such as posters and fact sheets will be distributed and are available to local healthcare providers to use as awareness tools.

“INOBTR is proud to lead this campaign highlighting an important issue that affects teenagers on a multitude of levels,” said INOBTR Communications Director Kelly McMahon. “What many people do not realize is that abuse goes beyond just physical violence and that it can be controlling behavior that inflicts emotional harm as well.  Our goal is to encourage healthy relationships amongst teens and to educate about signs of abuse within relationships.  We hope teens who are in abusive relationships will reach out to local resources and seek help immediately.”

Recognizing the important role healthcare providers play in teen dating violence prevention and intervention, the CAHC also worked with Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, and Futures Without Violence to develop the Healthcare Education, Assessment and Response Tool for Teen Relationships (HEART) Primer, an innovative resource designed to improve the recognition of teen dating violence and provide tools to healthcare providers to address this issue.

The Primer was implemented on a pilot basis at the New Generation Health Center and the Alameda High School-Based Health Center.  Of the youth who visited the two centers following the implementation of the Primer, almost 80 percent said that it is helpful for healthcare providers to talk about healthy and unhealthy relationships with them.

In addition, there was a reported decrease in technological abuse behavior and an increase in awareness of available community resources to help teens avoid or end relationship abuse.

“Teen dating violence is a serious issue, but many young people may be afraid to speak up,” said Sandi Goldstein, MPH, Director of the California Adolescent Health Collaborative. “As our work with the HEART Primer has shown, it is important for healthcare providers at clinics, schools and community health centers to talk to young patients about healthy relationships so they can be more comfortable assessing unhealthy relationships. By targeting both teens and providers, we hope to promote healthy relationships among young people.”

Based on the initial success locally, the Primer will be used at additional school-based health centers. In addition, the Primer is being rolled out nationally and will be revised to be relevant to healthcare providers in all 50 states.

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