FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nevada Nonprofits Team Up to Prevent Teen Dating Violence
Project REAL and S.A.F.E. House providing free lessons to NV high school seniors.

Las Vegas, May 5, 2021 – Las Vegas based nonprofits Project REAL and Safe House have joined forces to help educate Nevada’s graduating seniors about domestic, family, and sexual violence. Together, the two agencies have published a free guide designed for seniors graduating high school in 2021. Now, they are working with other sexual and domestic violence agencies in the state to get the word out.

While any sexual or domestic violence is problematic, Nevada has a uniquely troublesome history with these issues. Prior to 2014, Nevada had the highest rates of reported domestic violence incidents in the U.S., and today it remains the community with the third highest rate in the nation. Sexual violence is also an issue for young people that needs to be immediately addressed, with 61% of victims that reported an incident of sexual violence being between the ages of 12 and 24, and 74% of the 12 to 24 age group knowing their perpetrator.

Police agencies across the country began experiencing what some refer to as a “pandemic within a pandemic,” with American law enforcement agencies reporting an 8.1% increase in calls about domestic violence across the nation after lockdowns began in March 2020. Clearly, there is reason to act on this issue now, which is why Project REAL and Safe House have launched their statewide initiative to educate graduating high school seniors in Nevada.

“Domestic and sexual violence are particular dangers for people aged 18-25,” said Safe House’s Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, Monica Roberts. “This is when patterns of violence begin that, if the person survives their abuse, will shape the rest of their lives. Experiencing domestic violence can lead to it seeming ‘normal’ to a victim, making them less likely to report their experiences or seek help for the danger they’re in. An 8.1% increase during the pandemic is really worrying because, based on what we know about domestic violence, it means we’ll be seeing significant spikes in the future.”

Project REAL and Safe House are leading the conversation with Nevada’s high school seniors. The agencies aren’t going at it alone, having reached out to other prominent agencies that address domestic, sexual, and family violence issues across the state for help creating awareness about this free resource. These other organizations have signed on to accompany the initiative in making sure Nevada’s youth are as educated and prepared for the reality of adult life as possible.

“This project is meant to help those already experiencing domestic violence or silently carrying the memory of an unreported sexual assault, but there’s also a signficant prevention aspect to this project – especially for young adults that experienced violence in their households during the lockdown,” said Mike Kamer, Senior Director of Project REAL. “The point of the guide is to make sure young adults are aware of these dangers and know how to handle or—ideally—avoid them.”

This team of specialized agencies and Project REAL are asking teachers of high school seniors to share this guide with their students and encourage them to download or review it. The free guide is available in both English and Spanish at http://projectrealnv.org/relationships.

For additional comments or more information from Project REAL, please contact Mike Kamer at mkamer@projectreal.org or (702) 703-6529.

For additional comments or more information from Safe House, please contact Monica Roberts at monicar@safehouse.org or (702) 451-4203.

Project REAL, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was founded in 2005 by Sam Lionel and Irwin Molasky to meet the challenge of teaching K-12th grade Nevada students the importance of the law. They have taught over 185,000 Nevada students about the importance of the law with the goal of preparing them to be informed, law-abiding and participating citizens through courthouse field trips, mock trials, and unique in-class experiences.  For more information or to make a financial contribution so more students could benefit, please visit http://projectrealnv.org.

Safe House is a Las Vegas, Nevada community based non-profit organization committed to Stop Abuse in the Family Environment by providing a comprehensive approach to end domestic violence that includes crisis intervention, safe shelter, counseling, advocacy, and community education. The organization aids victims of domestic violence by providing shelter and other services. For more information or to make a financial contribution to help address domestic violence in Southern Nevada, please visit https://safehousenv.org/

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