FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2009
Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org
"Voices Against Violence" Seminar to Address Teen Dating Violence
(SEATTLE) — On Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the WSBA Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) will host "Voices Against Violence: Addressing the Legal Needs of Teen Victims of Dating Violence." The seminar is being organized in recognition of National Teen Dating Violence and Awareness Week, February 2-8, 2009, and will be held at the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), located at 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., Seattle. This event is being offered free of charge.
The Voices Against Violence seminar seeks to raise awareness of teen dating violence, and to mobilize young lawyers around the state to begin a dialogue on these unmet legal needs, and to form partnerships among attorneys, local providers, and teens.
The program will begin with a screening of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division video "Voices Against Violence," identifying the prevalence of dating violence among teens, and ways in which attorneys have worked with teens in this capacity. Belinda Lafferty, MA, LMHC, of Youth Eastside Services, and Kelly O'Connell, JD, of the Sexual Violence Law Center, will present on Washington's laws as they relate to teens. This will be followed by a presentation by teen peer-to-peer advocates at ACRS, who educate other teens on the subject of dating violence in local high schools. The morning will conclude with a roundtable discussion among teens, attorneys, and advocates on how best to address this important issue. For more information, see www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/wyld/default.htm#vav.
In honor of this event, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels's office has issued a proclamation to recognize National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week in Seattle and to encourage all Seattle residents to take action to address teen dating.
Teen dating abuse is a serious problem. According to the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, a national 24-hour phone and Internet resource specifically designed for teens and young adults, one in five teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner; more than one in four teenage girls in a relationship report enduring repeated verbal abuse; and nearly one in five teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up.
About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 32,700 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association – all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.
The governance of the WSBA is vested in its Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Mark A. Johnson, of Seattle. The president-elect is Salvador A. Mungia, of Tacoma, and the immediate past-president is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through its numerous standing committees, 27 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division with its many committees.
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