Domestic violence campaign to cover all county’s teenagers

Child protection experts have voiced growing concerns that many teenagers who are enduring both physical and psychological abuse at home are suffering in silence.

But the personal trauma has meant that young victims of domestic violence have become increasingly disruptive during their time at school in a thinly-veiled cry for help.

A ground-breaking initiative that was launched at the end of last year in the Craven district of North Yorkshire has been heralded as key to helping combat the problem.

It is now hoped that a DVD showcasing a short film produced by a group of seven youngsters will be distributed throughout North Yorkshire to highlight the hidden problem of domestic abuse.

A DVD and resource pack is being produced to run workshops in schools and at youth events as a means of offering support and crucial information.

The project, dubbed Behind Closed Doors, has been overseen by Natalia Oates and Emma Hopkinson, who are both youth support workers with North Yorkshire County Council’s Craven prevention team.

Miss Oates said: “The whole topic of domestic abuse is still very much taboo, and it is often very difficult to quantify.

“There could be so many more victims out there who simply have not come forward, especially in such a large area as North Yorkshire.

“But this project has given the teenagers involved a real voice. They have been involved with shooting and editing the film, as well as actually acting in it.

“Ultimately we would love to distribute the DVD to schools across the county as well as giving the chance for the young people involved to go out and actually discuss the issues with their peers,” she said.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in February that cases of domestic abuse in many rural communities were on the increase.

The number of reported incidents in Hambleton and Richmondshire has overshot predicted levels for this year by more than a third.

The dramatic rise has in part been hailed as a success by outreach workers, with victims historically reluctant to come forward due to the tight-knit nature of rural communities across both areas.

But Miss Oates warned that the knock-on effect of domestic abuse often remains hidden for children and young people, who have no clear means of expressing the trouble at home.

Their frustration is often vented through anti-social behaviour while at school, leading to spiralling problems often linked to drink and drugs and the threat of exclusion from classes.

While North Yorkshire has made significant strides in trying to help some of the county’s most troubled students, there still remains a small but significant number who are faced with exclusion.

Figures from the council have shown that in 2009/10 there were a total of 43 permanent exclusions, compared to 76 the previous year.

The Behind Closed Doors project was launched in October, and saw theatre and film professionals help the young people produce the DVD, which highlights the plight of a teenage boy who is suffering from domestic abuse.

Seven members aged between 11 and 16 of the county council’s Otley Street Youth and Community Centre in Skipton were involved in the initiative.

Their work was recognised during the recent regional Crimebeat finals when the project was deemed “highly commended” for its potential to develop awareness-raising materials.

The youngsters were given a £150 prize which they are now using to expand the project and its work.