HOUSE BILL 10: SHYNERRA'S LAW

SENATE APPROVES BILL DESIGNED TO HELP TEENS IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
In June 2005, Shynerra Grant, a 17 year-old high school graduate from Toledo who was headed to Wilberforce University on a scholarship, was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend, Antonio Bryant Rogers. For more than a year before this tragic shooting, Antonio stalked and abused Shynerra, including an incident in May 2004 when he broke into her home and put her in the hospital with a broken jaw.

Nearly two years later, in March 2007, Johanna Orozco, a high school student from Cleveland, was shot in the face by her ex-boyfriend, Juan Ruiz, days after he was released from juvenile prison for raping her. She survived. Juan had repeatedly hit, pushed and kicked Johanna during their relationship.

Unfortunately, the abuse that Shynerra and Johanna endured is only a glimpse into what has become a haunting reality for many teens in dating relationships. According to an investigative series in the Columbus Dispatch last November called,Domestic Silence, young Ohioans ages 15 to 19 are twice as likely to experience dating violence as they are to be injured in a car crash. However, unlike adults who are targets of threats and abuse by a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse, Ohio teenagers in violent relationships have been unable to get protection orders from a court in an attempt to keep their attackers away. This law has recently changed.

In June 2010, the General Assembly passed House Bill 10, legislation that gives juvenile courts in Ohio the same authority as common pleas courts to issue protection orders. While the bill is not a "panacea," it is designed to provide greater protection for teens in abusive relationships. Offenders can be arrested immediately if they go to a victim's home or office, call them on the telephone or damage their property. The bill, which was named Shynerra's Law in memory of Shynerra Grant, was signed by Governor Ted Strickland.

The stories of Shynerra and Johanna and the many other young people in Ohio who have experienced abuse at the hands of a boyfriend or girlfriend are heartbreaking. While HB 10 will not prevent every violent relationship, hopefully it will provide a stronger defense for some teens in these situations and save young lives.

For more information on House Bill 10, Shynerra’s Law, please visit the Ohio General Assembly website at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/.