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WOMEN’S CENTER RAISES RED FLAG FOR JUSTICE

 

WOMEN’S CENTER RAISES RED FLAG FOR JUSTICE

Greyhound News (Loyola University—Maryland)

November 13, 2012

Would you say something if you saw a red flag? You’d be surprised how many people wouldn’t. Dating violence occurs in all shapes, sizes and forms, and can span across physical, emotional, verbal and controlling ranges. Yet, so many people have a hard time accepting their situation or even identifying their problem. Upwards of 45 percent of college women experience violence and dating abuse. What’s equally as bad is that nearly 60 percent of college students say they don’t know how to help someone who is a victim of dating abuse. College campuses are breeding grounds for these unhealthy relationships. That’s where The Red Flag Campaign comes in.

The Campaign was created by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance in the fall of 2005. The vision behind it was to create the first statewide awareness and education campaign, designed specifically to address dating violence among students on college and university campuses.

Research teams worked to explore the nature of dating relationships on campus and to identify hallmarks of healthy relationships versus abusive ones. During these focus groups, students revealed that they are willing to intervene with friends who are being victimized by or acting abusively toward their dates. Students also clearly indicated that they would be receptive to hearing intervention and prevention messages from their friends, should they ever find themselves in a dating violence circumstance. They designed a campaign that would target college students who are friends/peers of victims and perpetrators of dating violence; educate friends/peers about “red flags” (warning indicators) of dating violence; and encourage friends/peers to “say something” (i.e. intervene in the situation). Thus, The Red Flag Campaign was born.

The Women’s Center held tables in Boulder from Nov. 6-8 to raise awareness for The Red Flag Campaign. It is an outlet that allows individuals to examine their own relationships and compare them to “red flags” by providing indicators of an abusive relationship, as well as those of a healthy one. It provides safety planning for students who believe that they may be victims of dating abuse. To aid those in need, The Red Flag Campaign provides fact sheets, comparisons of healthy and abusive relationships, continuums and many resources to help yourself and others. A junior, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “To understand that you have that capacity [to say something when you see dating violence] is a powerful thing.”

Currently, dozens of college and university campuses across the United States, including Loyola, are participating in The Red Flag Campaign. All students should educate themselves not only on what a healthy relationship is, but also in what a healthy relationship is not. Sometimes, the line between the two is thin for some.

If anyone feels like a victim of such an abusive relationship, remember this: It is not your fault and you are not alone. Reach out to someone—a friend, counselor or even the police. There is help and there is a way out.