Locally, within Pinellas and Pasco Counties, the Girls Initiative was developed and named Listen to Girls. Data relating to child safety, education, health, juvenile justice, mental health, substance abuse and teen pregnancy is presented, as well as profiles of many programs serving girls in Pinellas County. Additional CFS staff contributing to the report are Rick Brown, Lodi Lipien and Marianne Fink, who provided data and resources, and Bill Leader, who was responsible for the layout and design of the report. For additional information, contact Mary Ann Kershaw at 974-6419. Over one million teenage girls become pregnant each year.
Girls are proportionally higher percentage of victims of violence, including rape.
The rate of arrest for violent crimes is rising more quickly for girls than for boys, and the justice system is not prepared to address this trend. Pinellas Steering Committee. Since its inception in 1984, the Institute's mission has been to improve service delivery systems for children with serious emotional or behavioral disabilities and their families.