Friendship of Women host webinar on dating violence prevention

On Thursday 51����’s Recreation Center is hosting a webinar to catch the signs of dating violence and abuse in relationships.��

51���� graduate Cindy Torres will host the webinar alongside Friendship of Women coworker Denisse Tamayo.��

“We hope to achieve awareness,” TSC Graduate Torres said. “I’ll be talking about the types of abuse and defining the types of abuse. For students, the most important thing is the digital world. It is not okay to feel pressure whether it’s sexual, social or any other type of pressure to do things you don’t want to do. Even through digital means, this is a new type of abuse that is very real.”��

51���� is committed to education and promotion of safe dating and knowing the warning signs in potentially dangerous situations. Last October 51���� hosted its annual Domestic Violence Awareness conference, bringing together district attorneys from each of the four Rio Grande Valley Counties. ��

“It’s not talked about enough,” Torres said. “It is quite normalized now with students and younger people. There is a generational gap.”��

Torres says the goal is to break the cycle of abuse via education. She says many survivors may not even realize they are in an abusive situation or relationship.��

“Violence creates more violence,” Torres said. “If people don’t know, how are they supposed to prevent it. It’s like the old adage ‘history repeats’ itself. If one doesn’t know that they are experiencing abuse or the definitions or even that it’s considered abuse then how are you supposed to fight it?”��

Students can follow this link to sign up for the free webinar at the following link. ����

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