Georgia must work together to stem teen dating violence, death

By Peggy Walker and Daphne Walker


Just more than a year ago, a Newton County community mourned the loss of 19-year-old Audrey Atkinson. In June, Jasmine Harris, 17, was killed in Fulton County. In November, Shakira Hudson, a Thomson High School student, died at 15.

These young women’s names joined a list of more than 127 others who lost their lives due to intimate partner violence in Georgia last year.

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency found that one in three adolescent girls is a victim of violence in a dating relationship. Teen dating violence as well as domestic violence encompass threats, physical violence, sexual violence, isolation from friends and family, harassment, stalking and emotional abuse.

Many studies have shown that girls subjected to this abuse face higher rates of dangerous sexual activity, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, unwanted pregnancy and eating disorders, as well as physical injuries.

As judges in Georgia’s courts, we’ve seen firsthand how teens who experience dating violence at young ages tend to choose other relationships that become increasingly abusive, often resulting in serious injuries to the teen. We also find that this increases the risk for substance abuse because there is a need to numb the pain and the fear.

Risky behaviors related to violent relationships and/or substance abuse often lead to pregnancy before age 18 because of unprotected sex. And teen moms are often unprepared to meet the needs of an infant.

A study by NCCD illustrates that more girls are victimized by a dating partner than are all youth who have had a fight at school, been bullied and died from homicide or suicide combined. Not only does this violence and abuse wear down one’s self-esteem, but it can be potentially lethal.

The 2010 Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Review report tells communities across the state that more than 50 percent of the victims in the reviewed fatalities were between the ages of 16 and 24 when the relationship began.

In the past eight years, 962 Georgians have lost their lives due to domestic violence. Additionally, the Violence Policy Center has shown that despite decreasing homicides by more than two times that of the national average, Georgia still ranks 10th in the country for its rate at which men kill women in single-victim homicides, most of which are domestic violence murders.

Schools, parents, peers and community organizations need to work together to model healthy relationships for children as well as give those in need the proper resources and support. Teens often cannot escape abuse when they have to attend school and social events with their abuser. They also are not afforded some of the same legal protections that adults have.

But there is help. Teens, parents and friends can provide support and a listening ear, and call the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. Together, let us break the cycle of violence.

Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Peggy Walker chairs the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.

Clayton County Chief Magistrate Court Judge Daphne Walker chairs the Statewide Judicial Council Task Force on Domestic Violence Courts.