Sisters Mia and Makel Doughty learned that love and healthy relationships are not always like they appear in the movies.
On Feb. 7, the siblings joined 17 girls at the Laurel Multiservice Center for the “Safe Hearts. Strong Minds.” event, which aimed to educate and empower girls ages 9 to 18 about teen dating violence, healthy relationships, safety and self-confidence.
“When you see movies or things in the news, it’s mostly either young adults or adults being mistreated,” said Mia Doughty, 17, of Bowie. “I barely see anybody our age or younger, so it was very shocking to hear about that.”
For nearly two hours, participants learned about preventing human trafficking, domestic abuse and the importance of consent. The event, organized by the Tau Delta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. in partnership with the City of Laurel, focused on helping girls recognize the difference between healthy and toxic relationships.
“Human trafficking, trafficking in general, abusive relationships — those are all real-world issues,” said Makel Doughty, 17, a junior at Bowie High School. “They can affect older or younger people my age — girls, males, whatever.”
Members of Tau Delta Zeta said they hope to address growing concerns about dating violence and human trafficking in Prince George’s County and the Washington metropolitan region by equipping girls with personal safety skills and prevention training.
“As much as we would like to avoid these things within our community, it is happening around us,” said Sabrena Ball, president of the chapter.
Tau Delta Zeta has worked in Prince George’s County for more than 20 years raising awareness about domestic abuse and sex trafficking. Organizers said this was the first event focused specifically on young girls through the chapter’s youth program.
“We can increase the awareness of what unhealthy relationships look like,” said Koretta Skelton, the chapter’s domestic violence coordinator. “So when girls enter relationships, they’re aware of signs and behaviors of their partners and able to seek help or get out before something occurs that can be fatal.”
During the event, elementary and middle school students attended seminars on consent, boundaries and healthy relationships. High school students focused on identifying trafficking warning signs and understanding next steps in cases of dating abuse or human trafficking.
Recent data reflects the broader need for awareness. Over the past four months, Prince George’s County recorded 2,045 peace and protective order hearings — including 32 juvenile peace order hearings — according to Maryland Judiciary domestic violence reports. That averages about 17 hearings per day.
Peace and protective orders, commonly known as restraining orders, are used in cases involving domestic violence, stalking or harassment, said Sgt. Anthony Miskovish of the Laurel Police Department, who attended the event.
Juvenile peace orders apply when the person accused of harmful behavior is under 18, according to the People’s Law Library of Maryland.
Prince George’s County reported more domestic violence court incidents in 2025 than Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Howard counties during the same period, according to data compiled by The Laurel Independent. Prince George’s County’s rate is 49.3 hearings per 10,000 residents, compared with an average rate of 25.7 per 10,000 in surrounding counties.
However, officials cautioned that statistics do not capture the full scope of the problem. Dating abuse and human trafficking are often underreported, Miskovish said.
Still, Makel Doughty said the program was eye-opening and encouraged families to start conversations earlier.
“You only talk about relationships in health class, and you only take that once or twice in high school,” she said. “Parents and other people need to know that kids aren’t too young to learn about consent.”