Teen Dating Violence - Know the Facts

Teen Dating Violence Awareness means understanding the issues and what teens are faced with.

Did you know that: 

• 1 in 4 teen girls say they have been concerned about being physically hurt by their partner.
• 1 in 4 teens who have been in a serious relationship say that a boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family; the same number have been pressured to only spend time with their partner.
• Half of teen girls who have experienced sexual pressure report they are afraid the relationship would end if they did not give in.
• Nearly 1 in 4 girls who have been in a relationship (23%) reported going further sexually than they wanted as a result of pressure.

Either gender can experience several different types of abuse which can include:

• Physical abuse: any intentional use of physical force meant to cause fear or injury, like hitting, shoving, biting, strangling, kicking, or using a weapon.
• Emotional abuse: non-physical behavior such as threats, insults, humiliation, intimidation, isolation, or stalking.
• Sexual abuse: any action that forces undesired sexual behavior on you by another person. This includes making you do anything you don’t want to do sexually, refusing to have safe sex, aggressively pressuring you to go further than you want to sexually, or making you feel badly about yourself sexually.

Know the signs. Not sure if you’re in an unhealthy relationship? Take a step back and ask yourself the questions in this Dating Abuse Checklist.  If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, seek help. You are not alone and there are places you can turn to for help. Talk to your parents, a teacher, or another adult you can trust. You can also contact the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 (1-866-331-8453 for the hearing impaired).