< Back to front page Text size – +

Video warns teens of dangers of dating violence

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 10, 2009 03:35 PM

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

A dramatic, black-and-white public service announcement featuring a young woman crying for help by her locker as a threatening young man ominously approaches has won a contest held by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, the office announced today.

With more than 1,000 students from across Middlesex County voting, the video beat five other semifinalists in the project developed by the district attorney's office to prevent teen dating abuse.

"A Cry For Help," shot by Somerville High School students Mitch Freitas, Jason Corey, Aakash Sharma, Jerry Alphonse, Anthony Bohan, and Stefanie Vivian, will now be professionally edited and submitted to local television stations.

“This was a project for teens by teens, and our hope with the project was to help spark a positive dialogue about healthy relationships,” District Attorney Leone said in a statement. “We want to congratulate today’s winner and commend all of the students who participated in this project for their leadership in speaking out against teen dating violence. They have helped send a clear message that physical and verbal abuse have no place in a healthy relationship.”

The District Attorney’s Teen Dating Violence Public Service Announcement project, created with Middlesex Partnerships For Youth Inc. and REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, asked students across the county to produce their own short films raising awareness of relationship abuse, date rape, and resources to get help. More than 200 students across the county submitted a total of 35 entries.

The project was created in response to concerns about the prevalence of teen dating abuse in the city that were heightened by a survey by the Boston Public Health Commission after the Chris Brown and Rihanna incident. The 19-year-old singer and songwriter Chris Brown allegedly beat his 20-year-old girlfriend, Rihanna, in a speeding vehicle, according to media reports.

More than 46 percent of 200 students, aged 12 to 19, surveyed by the health commission said they blamed Rihanna for the incident. Moreover, more than 44 percent of the students said they believed fighting was normal in a relationship, according to the survey, which offered a window into teens' views on violence in relationships.

One in three teenagers reported knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked, or physically hurt by their partner, according to statistics provided by the district attorney's office from the United States Bureau of Justice.

Nationwide young people, 16 to 24, also experience the highest per capita rate of intimate partner violence, according to the bureau.