Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

February is National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month and it is critical that we take this time to remember that partner violence is not just a problem for adults. One in three adolescents in the US will be a victim of physical, emotional or sexual abuse from a dating partner. Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their intimate relationships continue to date their abuser. And two-thirds of teens who are in an abusive relationship never tell anyone about the abuse. It’s time to shine a light on this issue.

Recognizing abuse in a relationship can be difficult, especially for teens. There are many types of abuse that young people may believe are normal in a relationship. At Girls’ LEAP Self-Defense we frequently hear from girls and young women about their experiences with harassment.  In our programs we teach that every girl has the right to safe and healthy relationships.  We discuss identifiable traits between healthy and unhealthy relationships and sexual harassment versus flirting.   We teach girls which peer behaviors are not tolerable and not just a part of the reality of being a girl.  We help them learn how to identify appropriate advocates, people that they feel safe talking to that can and will help them.


All of us can help prevent teen dating violence:

• Encourage legislators to introduce laws that require teen dating violence education in the classroom. Teens spend the majority of their time in school or at school-related activities and without laws in place to protect them, domestic and sexual violence among teens will continue to cause upheaval at home and at school. Encourage school leaders to step up if legislators will not and offer to pay the often small fees (less than $100) for effective dating violence prevention curricula.
• Know the laws.  In Massachusetts, minors can obtain Protection Orders (POs), and courts can issue POs against minor abusers. Massachusetts also allows people in dating relationships to seek POs against their abusers.
• Take the time to educate yourself and others about teen dating violence. The following websites offer information about teen dating violence and what you can do to help:

o   www.breakthecycle.org

o   www.loveisrespect.org

o   www.thesafespace.org

Teen dating violence is a community issue that goes beyond police response. Schools, government agencies, afterschool programs, and citizens all need to take part in teaching our youth how to recognize dangerous or inappropriate behavior and help them develop the skills to protect themselves.  Girls and women need opportunities to learn self-control, conflict de-escalation and to learn constructive responses to these issues. Every incident of violence erodes our communities; we must invest in the safety of our youth.