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Posted: Friday, 11 September 2009 11:40AM
One in 10 Chicago girls reports date abuse
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CHICAGO (STNG) -- More than one in 10 girls in Chicago say they've been physically abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend, and nearly half of Illinois high school girls say they drink alcohol.
Those are some of the findings released Thursday in the new "Status of Girls in Illinois" report by the Women & Girls Collective Action Network, Loyola University Chicago and several other groups.
The report, based mostly on data pulled from national health surveys, provides a wide-ranging snapshot of how girls in Chicago and Illinois as a whole fare in terms of their health, sexuality and education. The 128-page report also highlights that many young women don't have access to important services such as mental health counseling and physical education.
It's the first time so much information on girls in Illinois has been available in one place, said Mariame Kaba, co-author of the report and founder of the Rogers Park Young Women's Action Team and Project Nia.
Kaba said the report should help "arm advocacy groups with key data they can use to advocate for more resources for [gender-specific issues]."
Among the findings:
• 63 percent of Illinois high school girls said they are trying to lose weight.
• 53 percent of high school girls in Chicago said they've had sex.
• 19 percent of Chicago high school girls said they smoke marijuana, higher than the state and national averages.
• 14 percent of high school girls in Chicago reported that they had engaged in self-mutilation, such as cutting or burning themselves.
• 8 percent of Illinois high school girls described themselves as gay or bisexual, though a higher percentage said they'd been harassed because someone thought they were gay.
Danielle Gordon, mother of Janae, 10, said she was surprised by the numbers on dating violence and drug use.
"That's crazy for them to even be thinking about that right now," Gordon said.
But she said the number of girls who are unhappy with their appearance "sounds about right because they're trying to keep up with the models and the videos on TV."
Parts of the report also ring true for 18-year-old Annette Ollie of the West Side.
"Girls around here do have sex at a young age, they do drugs, and some are in abusive relationships," she said. "It would help to have more ladylike role models like Michelle Obama."
Ollie said greater parental involvement in their daughters' lives is also key.
"If your parents aren't on your side, who else are you going to turn to?" she said.
The aspiring chef is part of an after-school program at Girls in the Game, one of several groups cited in the report for promoting positive decision-making and leadership development for Chicago area girls.
The full report can be viewed online at www.women andgirlscan.org/statusofgirls.
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Copyright 2009 STNG Wire, The Chicago Sun-Times. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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