By Peter Glick, Esq.
Special to the Eagle

SCHERMERHORN STREET — Last week, at a lunchtime program, members of the public and staff at the Brooklyn Criminal Court were educated about the rising level of sexual abuse and teen-dating violence in our public schools, and the efforts to address this significant public health concern.

The presenters included Eric Pliner, the director of the Research and Resource Center of the New York City Department of Education, and Meghan O’Connor, the director of programs for the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

After introductions by Hon. William Miller, supervising judge of the Brooklyn Criminal Court, Hon. Ruth E. Smith and Brooklyn court attorney Peter Glick, the presenters explained the citywide school-based initiatives to address sexual and dating violence among young people.

They presented findings and recommendations from a study conducted by the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault and the Columbia Center for Youth Violence Prevention. The study, entitled “Partners and Peers: Sexual and Dating Violence Among NYC Youth,� was conducted in four high schools in the city.

The study highlights that sexual and dating violence is prevalent among youth and explores how these experiences affect young people’s lives and health. It identifies youth at high risk for sexual and dating violence perpetration and victimization, and makes recommendations on how to appropriately respond to and prevent sexual and dating violence.

The presenters discussed how the research partners and the Department of Education are collaborating to advance the advocacy goals of the report among the public, parents and youth-serving professionals.

Some of the significant initiatives undertaken include revisions to the DOE’s Discipline Code that specifically addresses youth relationship abuse or sexual violence, enhanced prevention curricula, peer leadership education, and outreach to parents and the community.

Last week’s program was the third in a three-part series of Brooklyn Criminal Court programs commemorating October as the nation’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Every year since 1998, the Brooklyn Criminal Court has presented one or more such programs.

The first two of this year’s presentations were held on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 at Pacific High School, which is adjacent to Brooklyn Criminal Court. Students and staff participated in informative and interactive presentations by members of the New York City Healthy Relationship Training Academy. The Academy is a creation of the Department of Community Youth and Development and the NYC Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. The Academy teaches young people and service providers in New York City about the dynamics of abusive relationships and the characteristics of healthy relationships.

This year’s awareness programs in Brooklyn, along with similar programs in other counties in New York City, were part of a citywide initiative addressing teen dating violence by the Gender Fairness Committee of the Criminal Court of the City of New York and its subcommittees in each county. The Committee is comprised of women and men working to promote gender fairness throughout the court system.

Under the leadership of two of the Criminal Court’s judges, Hon. Toko Serita and the Hon. Ruth E. Smith, respectively chairpersons of the citywide and Brooklyn Gender Fairness Committees, members organized the awareness programs in Brooklyn.

The Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 programs were organized by Lisa Howard, an associate court clerk at the Brooklyn Criminal Court, with the assistance of Iliana Santiago, Esq., a staff attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services. The Oct. 29 program was organized by Peter Glick, Esq., a member of the criminal court’s law department.

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