News Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Idaho Senator Mike Crapo announced an initiative to further public awareness and education about teen dating violence. The Department of Defense has sent American Bar Association (ABA) Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention toolkits to all military installations and secondary Department of Defense schools worldwide. “This is great news for military families, and especially children of military members,” said Crapo. “Our military families are not immune to the tragedies of teen dating violence, and resources such as these toolkits will help raise awareness in American military communities worldwide, and right here in Idaho at Mountain Home Air Force Base.”

The DoD Office of Military Community and Family Policy was first alerted to the existence of the toolkits when contacted by Senator Crapo in early 2006. The ABA created toolkits for schools as part of its Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative begun in 2004. The ABA completed and mailed these toolkits to schools in every state and U.S. Territory in February 2006. At that time, the United States Senate and the House of Representatives declared the week of February 6 – 10, 2006, National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week.

According to the Department of Defense, additional toolkits were mailed to large installations to share with secondary non-DoD schools that enroll large numbers of military dependent children. Toolkits include prevention recommendation tips for teens, parents, lawyers, judges, school counselors and others; a wallet card listing the National Domestic Violence Hotline number; a teachers’ guide that features potential classroom activities for raising awareness of the issue; and, a DVD highlighting teens’ personal accounts of dating violence.