Middle Way House hosts forum

The mood was solemn at the Monroe County Public Library on Wednesday night as a panel of representatives from Middle Way House and other groups introduced themselves to the audience and outlined the activities of the evening.\nThe library played host to the discussion, which was highlighted by speeches from Lara Weaver from the Shalom and Templeton Family Resource Center and other Bloomington representatives, including Dave Torne, clinical coordinator of the Monroe County Youth Shelter. \nThe forum was sponsored by the Middle Way House’s Building Healthy Relationships Program, which aims to raise awareness of sexual assault and personal safety.\n“Our goal is to assist parents to open pathways for discussion with their teens to address these issues and talk about ways to control impulses and prevent unacceptable behavior,” Weaver said. “We believe that sexual-assault and violence-prevention efforts need to be started in the teen years because relationship patterns are often carried into adulthood.”\nWeaver said sexual assault and domestic violence are huge issues in our community. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury for women in the U.S. One in five teen girls report being sexually assaulted before entering high school, she said.\nOn Wednesday, Weaver guided teens and their parents through activities to help identify their personal values about dating and relationships. Audience members were asked to fill out on sticky notes what they considered to be healthy versus unhealthy relationships.\nTorneo and other representatives were able to answer various questions that teens had previously asked in the program. The panel then discussed the questions with the audience.\n“We provide shelter for kids who are or have been threatened by domestic or sexual violence,” Torneo said, “but unfortunately it is often after the fact.”\nRebecca Veidlinger of the Monroe County Prosecutors Office said prosecuting rape is often an invasive process for victims, so some deny they have been raped. Prosecutors must find probable cause before they can press charges.\nMiddle Way House is open 24 hours a day for phone consultation and assistance for victims.