Ohio Gets ‘F’ Grade For Teen-Dating Violence

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A national organization gave the state a failing grade when it comes to teen-dating violence. 

Ohio was one of 11 states to receive an “F” in regards to dating violence, according to the advocacy group Break the Cycle.

NBC 4’s Tom Brockman GOT ANSWERS on what the state has been doing to improve that grade.

Break the Cycle based the grades on the legal treatment both of adult victims of domestic violence and teenage victims of dating violence.

“F” grades were automatic for states where protective orders are unavailable for minors or where dating relationships are not explicitly recognized as valid for obtaining those orders. That included Ohio.

Twelve states received a D rating.

Five states received an A grade, including New Hampshire, the only state where the law specifically allows minors of any age to go to court by themselves to request a protection order.

In a recent survey of Central Ohio teens:
- 42 percent said they know someone in an abusive relationship
- 27 percent said they had been abused themselves
- 58 percent said abuse happened to a friend

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray has pushed for several protective measures in regards to teen-dating violence. 

Attorney General Richard Cordray supports two bills which would remedy this problem by providing both protection and prevention measures.  House Bill 10, sponsored by state Rep. Edna Brown, (Toledo), would allow juvenile court judges to grant teens protective orders against other juveniles. 

The bill was inspired in part by the plight of Johanna Orozco, a Cleveland teenager who was shot in the face by her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend in 2007 and has had numerous operations. Orozco wanted to get a protection order, but Ohio juvenile courts cannot issue them against minors.

State Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood, (Niles), sponsored House Bill 19, which would require school districts to adopt a dating violence education policy to inform students about and promote healthy teen dating practices.

“Passing these two bills will improve our support to victims of dating violence and allow teens who are threatened by abuse to seek help,“ Cordray said

Grades given to the states in a report by the advocacy group Break the Cycle assessing whether state laws provide adequate protection to minors who are the victims of dating violence:
A: California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma.
B: Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin.
C: Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.
D: Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon.
F: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia.

Break the Cycle’s full report can be reviewed at BreakTheCycle.com.

The Associated Press contributed information to this story.

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