The Virginia Department of Health receives funding from the Virginia Department of Social Services to provide training and resources to address statutory rape and sexual coercion of minor teens.

Extent of the problem:

Between 2000 and 2005 there were 3,056 births to teens ages 14 and 15, 71% of information for father’s age was not reported, but where the father's age was known, 63% of the cases could be estimated to be a felony at time of conception (Virginia Vital Records, birth data 2000-2005)

The Childhood Sexual Assault Victimization in Virginia report (2004, www.vahealth.org/civp/sexualviolence/index.asp) found of the females and males reporting having non-forced sexual intercourse, 100% of those 12 and under, 85% of those age 13 and 14 and 83% of those age 15-17 would be classified as victims according to Virginia law.

Nationally, statutory rape affects 13% of females and 5% of males at first sex www.childtrends.org.

The Goal Of The Statutory Rape Awareness Program Is To:

• Raise community awareness of the problem of statutory rape
• Reduce the incidence of statutory rape
• Educate youth service professionals on topic of statutory rape
• Educate youth about sexual coercion

The program provides education and training on the problem of statutory rape to state and local education systems, family planning nurses, relevant counseling services, and youth.  It also educates men about statutory rape by working with professionals whose clients are men and boys.

Education And Training

Annual training conferences

Trainings around the Commonwealth using the "Sexual Coercion and Sexual Exploitation of Minor Teens (Statutory Rape) -curriculum module for youth service providers" and Power Plays: Recognizing Sexual Coercion, a curriculum for teens. Both use a short 11 minute video titled - "Crossing the Line: when a sexual relationship is coerced."

Awareness Media Campaigns

Isn’t She a Little Young and the ¡Gracias Papa! Campaigns

For nearly four years, the Virginia Department of Health has conducted a successful social marketing campaign aimed at men 18-29 to reduce statutory rape and sexual coercion of minors by older adults.  (www.varapelaws.org)

The campaign’s message, “Isn’t She a Little Young? Sex with a Minor, Don’t Go There,” generated overwhelming state and national media coverage for its effort to enlist the aid of men when they see their buddies pursuing young girls. 

The message appeared on billboards and on postcards that were distributed to bars, restaurants and retail establishments.  The postcards were designed to be conversation starters among men who could also mail them to friends. 

VDH’s latest effort to reduce statutory rape and the sexual coercion of teens by older adults reaches out to the Hispanic community to educate young Latinas about healthy dating relationships.  The centerpiece is the fotonovela, “¡Gracias Papa!”

The campaign was prompted by calls from the community for resources on the topic for Hispanic readers and by the fact that the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that the Hispanic teen birth rate increased 50 percent in Virginia between 1990 and 2003 (www.teenpregnancy.org).

This campaign consists of the ¡Gracias Papa! fotonovela, three 60-second Spanish language radio PSAs and a Spanish Web page (www.paramihija.com). 

All aspects of the campaign were developed with input from professionals in the Hispanic community and focus group interviews.

The fotonovela is a popular form of communication in Hispanic culture.  It is formatted like an American comic book, and contains a dramatic storyline communicated through speech bubbles that appear over the characters’ heads.

For more information on this Program, please contact Robert Franklin at:

Robert.Franklin@vdh.virginia.gov