Town Hall Meeting V draws large crowd

Article and photograph by Janet Monti

Cutline:Emmett students Ashley Bussert, McKenna Mattingly, Kaitlyn Cunningham and Tabitha Matton listen to guest speaker Kelly Miller, at Town Hall Meeting V — Teen Dating Violence on Thursday.

About 100 teens and parents attended the presentation of Town Hall Meeting V that addressed dating violence on Thursday at Carberry Intermediate School. Gem County Prosecutor Tim Fleming opened by saying he was proud that Gem County officials started National Victims Rights Week by signing a proclamation recognizing the rights of victims. He hoped the evening would help people learn boundaries that would create healthy relationships.

Kelly Miller with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence said that Fleming is the first county prosecutor in the state to “take this topic on... it’s a community issue.”

Through the years, she has realized that women she usually sees at 27, 35 or 48 years of age, were first exposed to a violent relationship at 14 or 16 years old. Studies show that 80 percent of teens can identify teen dating violence in their community. In contrast, only 20 percent of the parents can.

“One out of two teens compromise their values in a dating relationship,” Miller said.

A lot of the situations have to do with age, Sherry Iverson, director of Women’s and Children’s Community Education from St. Luke’s Regional medical Center said.

“Age is power all by itself. This often begins with a big age difference,” she said.

One of Iverson’s first experiences with this came when she was with a 12-year-old in the labor room. The father was 20 years old.

“What’s wrong with this?” Iverson asked. “If a victim or parent has a concern, trust your instincts.”

Don’t blame or judge the victim.

Know that when “you’re in a healthy relationship, your grades are up,” Iverson said.

If you are a victim of dating violence: