The National Domestic Violence Hotline (N.D.V.H.) is raising public awareness as February is designated as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. The theme this year - #1Thing - urges teens to learn at least ‘one thing’ [fact or stat] about teen dating violence, and to share it with someone close to them.
With the emphasis on building healthy relationships “from the ground up,” teens are called to get the conversation started amongst their peers about the importance of dating violence in order to end it in the long run. When it comes to cupid’s love arrows in February, it serves to know exactly what you want both in and out of a relationship with your partner.
One online site and project of the N.D.V.H., Love Is Respect (L.I.R.) is a quick source for up-to-date facts on the dangers of teenage dating violence. L.I.R. is striving to deliver teens the proper clarity when it comes to dating violence, as it can happen to anyone.
According to L.I.R., one in every three teenagers in the United States will experience “physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults.” Furthermore, L.I.R. states that 43% of college women will say they’ve dealt with some form of “violent and abusive dating behaviors.”
In addition, L.I.R. provides teens the resources they need to spot the different types of abuse most common in the United States.
Physical, emotional, sexual, financial, and digital abuse are all broken down to identify their different red flags and how to handle situations if you become involved in a dangerous relationship. The two most common and visible forms of domestic abuse are physical and emotional abuse, as they both have the potential to hurt the victim from the inside-out.
According to L.I.R., physical abuse appears in a wide range of forms, including pushing their partner, pulling their hair, grabbing their face to make them talk and even pulling a weapon on them. Emotional abuse is typically seen as degrading speech, threats, humiliation, excessive texting and stalking.
Stalking is another form of abuse widely known that can escalate if not spotted in time. According to the N.D.V.H., 16.2% of women and 5.2% of men in the United States “have experienced stalking victimization in which they felt that themselves or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.”
In October 2019, online publication - Thought Co. - wrote an article surrounding the details of this silent epidemic, referencing their teen dating statistics from the Choose Respect initiative.
Together they found that around 80% of girls continue to date their abuser even after the first signs of trauma; almost 20% of teenage girls are essentially forced to stay in their relationship after mentioning a break-up because their boyfriend threatens to self-harm or use of violence; and lastly, another 70% of young women who have been raped “knew their rapist, the perpetrator was or had been a boyfriend, friend, or casual acquaintance.”
According to Children’s Safety Network (C.S.N.), the effects of any form of domestic abuse are detrimental. Victims of domestic abuse usually become more depressed and anxious, turn to drug use and may sometimes become suicidal.
C.S.N. also found that middle school and high school students are less likely than adults to report their abuse as fear of bullying forces them to encapsulate their emotions. From 2017- 2018, 1 in 10 high school students “have been abused by dating partners.”
Throughout February, community organizations, schools, and other outlets will host activities in celebration of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. On February 2, teens are encouraged to get the talk started within their community. February 8 through 12 is Respect Week and on Feb. 9, teens can show their commitment to ending domestic violence for all by wearing orange.
If you know someone or feel like you are in an abusive relationship, the N.D.V.H. have an anonymous, 24/7 hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) for those who want to talk.
While more in-depth research awaits, knowing how to combat dating violence is helping the N.D.V.H. reach their goal in ending the crisis. For more information and numbers on teenage and adult dating violence, be sure to visit https://www.loveisrespect.org/, https://ncadv.org/, and https://www.thehotline.org/.