IN a proclamation signing ceremony at Tinian Jr./Sr. High School on Monday morning, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres declared February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in the CNMI.
Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence executive director and Board of Education secretary/treasurer Maisie B. Tenorio, school administrators, the student body, and community members were also present for the ceremony.
TJSHS student council officers Colleen Cing and Ryan Nuera were the masters of ceremonies while CNMI Youth Congress Speaker and Tinian student Cielo Long gave the opening remarks and asked the audience the question, “Have you ever been in love or are you currently in love?”
Long spoke about how it often feels like to be in love, and how abuse in different forms or infatuation in a relationship can be confused or mistaken for love.
“Unconditional love does not mean unconditional tolerance,” she added.
Long’s remarks were followed by a special performance by TJSHS student Jesus Manglona who shared his personal experiences through a song.
This year’s inspirational speaker was former TJSHS teacher Mary Hocog, who talked about the importance of knowing your own worth as an individual.
“When you lose that connection with yourself, you lose your sense of self-worth and eventually lose the ability to love yourself. But I want you to know that you are loved from day one… You all have a purpose in this world and you fully deserve to find that purpose and be who you want to be,” she said.
“When you don’t see your worth, you constantly seek validation from your surroundings because you’re unsure if you’re enough. I’m here to tell you that you are more than enough… No matter what you’ve been through, you deserve to love yourself enough to know when to step away from toxicity, when to step away from harmful situations, harmful relationships, or harmful friendships, too.”
Following Hocog’s speech, the proclamation was read by Mia Cloe Danganan, Chad Acollador, Ismail Hossain, and Annabel Kiyoshi.
The proclamation reads, “Teen dating violence is a pervasive yet underreported crime in our community that happens in person, online, and through technology. This form of intimate partner violence affects millions of teens every year. It is a pattern of behaviors involving the use or attempted use of abuse including physical violence, sexual violence, psychological aggression like emotional abuse or intimidation, and stalking of another person with whom they have or have had a teen dating relationship.”
Governor Torres, for his part, said, “I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to raise awareness about abuse in teen relationships and promote programs that prevent it. Throughout February, organizations and individuals nationwide are urged to come together to bring attention to this issue, so that we may break the devastating cycle of dating violence. I call upon everyone to continue to educate young people about dating violence and to empower them to make healthy choices in relationships, so that our youth can live fulfilling lives free of violence and abuse.”
Tinian Mayor Aldan, for his part, encouraged individuals to speak up and speak out about abuse in relationships.
In her closing remarks, TJSHS principal Liza Hofschneider thanked the government officials and the school community members for their presence.
“Stay away from negative environments,” she said.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan pose for a photo with education officials, advocates and staff of Tinian Jr./Sr. High School following the proclamation of February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in the CNMI.
