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General Federation of Women's Clubs

 

http://www.gfwc.org/content_1239.cfm - Overview of Study on Teen Dating Violence

 

http://www.chooserespect.org/scripts/teens/statistics.asp - Dating Abuse Statistics

Breaking the Cycle—Domestic Violence and Teens

As many as one in three teenagers will deal with physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse in a relationship. This means that no matter who you are, where you're from, or what you do, this issue will impact your life. 

Statistics on dating abuse demonstrate that domestic violence and intimate partner violence is a significant issue in teen relationships: 1 in 5 teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped or pushed by a partner.

In March 2006, Teenage Research Unlimited conducted a survey sponsored by Liz Claiborne, Inc., the founding organization behind loveisrespect.org, the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. The findings of their survey were alarming: the results show that increasing numbers of teens experience and accept abusive behavior in dating relationships. Many teens also feel physically and sexually threatened.

Understanding Domestic Violence for Teenagers
The signs and symptoms of abuse within teenage relationships are similar to those of other forms of domestic violence. They may include physical violence, sexual assault, and emotional and/or psychological abuse. Many acts of abuse begin in early dating relationships. Date and acquaintance rape may happen at the beginning of a dating relationship before there has been any physical intimacy.

Teenage Victims of Domestic Violence Face Unique Challenges
Teenagers experience specific developmental milestones as they journey through adolescence. Relationship abuse can have a serious negative impact on a teen's emotional development.

Tasks of Adolescence

 Impact of Abusive Relationship

Accept body image

Abuser picks on body size/shape or tells victim s/he is ugly or fat. Victim may be beaten, disfigured, or raped.

Develop a personal value system

Teen victim is told what to think, read, and study. Victim may identify so strongly with the abuser that s/he is unable to develop his/her own values. Victim may feel it is unsafe to disagree.

Prepare for a productive role in society

Teen victim may be prevented from pursuing interests outside the relationship. Victim may be afraid to excel, to apply for college, or to call attention to themselves.

Achieve independence from parents

Teen victim may be prevented from pursuing interests outside the relationship. Victim may be afraid to excel, to apply for college, or to call attention to themselves.

Develop an adult identity

The teen's identity becomes enmeshed with the abuser and s/he becomes consumed with pleasing the abuser. Coping with fear and abuse uses all the victim’s energy and stunts social development.

Copyright 2007 The City of New York

To exert power and control, the abuser may:

Breaking the cycle of domestic violence means addressing the issue at all levels—teens who experience domestic violence between parents are at greater risk for suffering effects related to violence for the rest of their lives.

Resources for Teens and Parents 

Break the Cycle engages, educates, and empowers youth to build lives and communities free from domestic and dating violence. Break the Cycle envisions a world in which young people are empowered with the rights, knowledge, and tools to achieve healthy, nonviolent relationships and homes.

Choose Respect is an initiative to help adolescents form healthy relationships to prevent dating abuse before it starts. This national effort is designed to motivate adolescents to challenge harmful beliefs about dating abuse and take steps to form respectful relationships.

The Date Safe Project is committed to being the nation's leading organization for teaching how "asking first" makes all the difference in creating safer intimacy and in decreasing occurrences of sexual assault.

Since 1991, Liz Claiborne, Inc. has been working to end domestic violence. Through its Love Is Not Abuse program, the company provides information and tools that men, women, children, teens, and corporate executives can use to learn more about the issue and find out how they can help end this epidemic. Love Is Not Abuse offers a number of curriculum and collateral materials to assist in creating effecting outreach programs.

loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline is a national resource that can be accessed by phone or the Internet. The Helpline and loveisrespect.org offer real-time one-on-one support from trained Peer Advocates trained to offer support, information, and advocacy to those involved in dating abuse relationships as well as concerned parents, teachers, clergy, law enforcement, and service providers.





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