Practical Advice on Talking to Kids About Violence
August 9, 2005 For Parents and Caregivers: Practical Advice on Talking to Kids About Violence Avon Foundation, Wireless Foundation, and Family Violence Prevention Fund Help Parents Teach Their Children to Avoid Violence Against Women What do you say to a 16-year-old who is being bullied and controlled by her boyfriend? Will violent video games affect your child’s behavior? How do you break a pattern of abuse that has affected your family for generations? A powerful new publication from the Family Violence Prevention Fund, with support from the Avon Foundation and the Wireless Foundation, answers those and other provocative questions. CONNECT: A Mini-Magazine for Parents gives parents and caregivers practical advice on how to talk to kids about respecting women and girls and cultivating healthy relationships. The mini-magazine offers regular features including a Parent2Parent advice column by Wendy Lichtman, a mother of two and writer for several national magazines and newspapers, articles on hot topics such as violent video games, questions-and-answers with authors and experts, and interviews with parents, teens and women who grew up in violent homes. The launch issue’s website also has supplements including a quiz, advice on taking advantage of teachable moments, and more. CONNECT is available online in English and Spanish at www.connect-endabuse.org and www.avonfoundation.org, and readers are encouraged to send in their questions or concerns for a reply. To quickly disseminate the new publication, Avon Products, Inc. began distributing CONNECT to its nearly 500,000 US independent Sales Representatives in May, and will continue to circulate the piece throughout the summer. Also, the publication has been promoted through a nationwide viral email campaign. The spring/summer issue of CONNECT is the first in a series of mini-magazines that will provide a compendium of advice to help parents teach children that violence against women is wrong. Both the Wireless Foundation and the Avon Foundation will produce additional issues in the fall. Together, they will give parents a wealth of advice on how to broach this difficult subject with children. “Talking to children about violence against women is daunting for many parents,” said Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler. “Until now, there has been little help and support for those who want to teach their sons to reject abuse and help their daughters avoid becoming victims of dating, domestic or sexual violence. The Avon Foundation and the Wireless Foundation have done a tremendous service by supporting production of these mini-magazines. CONNECT will help millions of parents talk to their kids about violence.” “We are proud to partner with the Family Violence Prevention Fund and the Wireless Foundation in this work,” said Avon Foundation President Kathleen Walas. “The Avon Foundation has for 50 years been committed to empowering women, and through our new Speak Out Against Domestic Violence initiative our goal is to help break the cycle of domestic violence. CONNECT is one of the first projects of our Speak Out program, and it is a symbol of our hope that the next generation can avoid the violence.” “The Wireless Foundation has a deep commitment to raising awareness about domestic violence and helping victims,” said Wireless Foundation Executive Director David S. Diggs. “We have recycled millions of wireless phones and used the proceeds to support leading domestic violence agencies, and refurbished countless others that are lifelines for victims of abuse facing emergencies. Supporting the CONNECT mini-magazine is one more way the wireless industry is helping parents and kids communicate – in this case about the importance of preventing domestic violence before it even begins.” Violence is a pervasive problem in the U.S. Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, according to a 1998 Commonwealth Fund survey. One in five female public high school students in Massachusetts report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence from a dating partner, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2001 found. On average, husbands and boyfriends murder more than three women in this country every day, according to data from the U.S. Department of Justice. # # # # The Avon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity celebrating its 50th anniversary committed to improving the lives of women. Launched in 2004, the Foundation’s new Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program focuses on education, awareness and prevention programs, as well as support programs for victims. For more information on the mission and programs of the Avon Foundation, visit www.avonfoundation.org. The Wireless Foundation initiates and oversees philanthropic programs that utilize wireless technology to help American communities. A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established by the membership of the CTIA-The Wireless Association™ in 1991, The Wireless Foundation coordinates the national Donate A Phone ® CALL TO PROTECT® campaign, which collects wireless phones to benefits victims of domestic violence. More information is available at www.wirelessfoundation.org. For more than two decades, the Family Violence Prevention Fund has worked to end violence against women and children around the world, because every person has the right to live free of violence. More information is available at www.endabuse.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contacts:Lisa Lederer, FVPF, 202/371-1999 Susan Heaney, Avon Foundation, 212/282-5668 David Diggs, Wireless Foundation, 202/785-0081 http://www.avoncompany.com/women/news/press20050809.html