In a room full of lawyers in Greenbelt, two high school students began yelling at each other. The verbal exchanges escalated into pushing and shoving, and no one did anything to stop it.
The fight was not real, but staged in an impromptu skit for the second annual Law Day forum May 1 at the U.S. District Courthouse. The skit was used as a teaching tool on how to resolve conflict and when to report similar incidents to the authorities.
Law Day, sponsored annually by the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, brings about 75 high school students together with lawyers to discuss legal issues that may affect them. Students also get information on how they can pursue a career in law.
Teens spoke about some of the problems they face in schools after they saw the fake fight.
‘‘At my school, it happens a lot,” said Fairmont Heights High School sophomore Tishanda McCown. ‘‘People rush to see it, but they don’t do anything about it. You should go to a principal or a guidance counselor and tell someone.”
The skit was put on by members of Teens Against Assault, Violence and Abuse, an organization started two years ago at Bowie High School by senior Laura Joell and other students.
Joell said the sight of teenage boyfriends and girlfriends physically and emotionally abusing one another prompted the seniors to start the group and to discuss solutions.
Joell, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) and Renee Battle-Brooks, an assistant state’s attorney, were among speakers addressing teenage problems during Law Day.
Battle-Brooks urged students to report teen-dating abuse. She said children probably see sexual abuse on television every day.
‘‘You see it in music videos and video games,” she said. ‘‘And they make sexual abuse seem cool and acceptable. But sexual abuse is about taking something away from someone.”
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Injury Center reported in 2007 that each year, one in 11 teens report being a victim of physical dating violence and one in five teens report being a victim of emotional dating abuse.
About one in five high school girls have been abused by a dating partner and the overall occurrence of dating violence is higher among black students than Hispanics or whites, according to the CDC.
Ramon V. Korionoff, a spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office, said dating abuse can include rape, unwanted advances, unwanted touching and bullying.
Battle-Brooks said participants who found themselves in an abusive dating relationship should talk the matter over with teachers, police or any trusted adult.
‘‘Tell them so the person doesn’t do it to someone else,” she said. ‘‘Silence is the friend of the abuser.”
John White, a Prince George’s County Public Schools spokesman, said teen dating abuse statistics for county schools were not immediately available. But, he added, there are resources in place to help students who are facing such a situation.
‘‘Our school nurses provide literature on the issue of dating abuse and violence to students visiting school health rooms,” White wrote in an e-mail. ‘‘In addition, students coping with this issue who come into the health room for some other concern, typically end up sharing the fact that they are in an abusive relationship with our school nurses. The nurses provide counseling and resources to these students to ensure that they receive appropriate intervention and support.”
Antonio Hunt, a senior at Fairmont Heights High School in Capitol Heights, said students know they should report abusive acts, but sometimes choose not to for fear of retribution.
‘‘You should report it, of course,” said Hunt, one of the participants. ‘‘But then, there is the intimidation factor. We go to school with all types.”
But Joell encouraged participants to report such issues and to talk things over with their peers.
‘‘We want people to know that they don’t have to do it alone,” Joell said. ‘‘You don’t have to stay in a bad relationship. It’s all about breaking the silence.”
