Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, define teen dating violence as physical, sexual, or psychological/emotional violence within a dating relationship, as well as stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and may occur between a current or former dating partner.
Adolescents and adults are often unaware that teens experience dating violence. In a nationwide survey, 9.4 percent of high school students report being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the 12 months prior to the survey (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey). The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) found that 18.5% of high school students in Chicago surveyed were victims of TDV in the previous year. This figure is nearly twice the rate of students nationwide.
While healthy relationship behaviors can have a positive effect on a teen’s emotional development; unhealthy, abusive or violent relationships can cause short-term and long-term negative effects, or consequences to the developing teen. Victims of teen dating violence are more likely to do poorly in school, and report binge drinking, suicide attempts, and physical fighting. Victims may also carry the patterns of violence into future relationships.
Teen dating violence is related to certain individual, peer, partner, parent, and neighborhood risk factors, including specifically: (1) the belief that it is okay to use threats or violence to get one’s way or to express frustration or anger; (2) the use of alcohol or drugs; (3) an inability to manage anger or frustration; (4) an association with violent peers; (5) multiple sexual partners; (6) an association with friends involved in dating violence; (7) feelings of depression or anxiety; (8) learning disabilities and other problems at school; (9) a lack of parental supervision and support; (10) an especially violent neighborhood or surrounding environment; and (11) a history of aggressive behavior or bullying. In light of these risk factors, it is important to remember that teen dating violence can happen to both girls and boys, no matter your social or economic status, your race, or whether you are straight or gay.
Dating violence can be prevented when teens, families, organizations, and communities work together to implement effective prevention strategies.
Recently, schools, policy makers, and sexual and domestic violence prevention groups have expanded their efforts to prevent teen dating violence. To unite these new initiatives and perspectives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships, which highlights preventive strategies for individuals, peers, families, schools, and neighborhoods. Over the next five years, Dating Matters will be implemented in approximately 12 middle schools across Chicago, focusing on 11-to-14-year-olds in high-risk, urban communities. For more information, click here or contact Erica Davis.
Additionally, the Division of Violence Prevention of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control developed the Choose Respect program to promote broad community efforts to help youth ages 11-14 from healthy relationships to prevent dating abuse before it starts. This national movement motivates youth to challenge damaging beliefs about dating abuse and take steps to form respectful relationships. As a partner with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) on Choose Respect Illinois, the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention provides technical assistance to Choose Respect Illinois grantees, advises ICJIA on strategies for enhancing program deliverables, publishes the Choose Respect Illinois E-Zine, a youth-friendly online publication that promotes the themes of practices of Choose Respect, and developed and published the Choose Respect Illinois Training guide, a 48-page instructional manual.
Furthermore, the City of Chicago provides online resources for what one can do to address, reduce, or prevent teen dating violence today. Specifically, Healthy Chicago provides a helpful list of what one can say to a teen who needs help:
“I care about what happens to you. I love you and I want to help.”
“It is the abuser who has a problem, not you. It is not your responsibility to help this person change.”
“The abuse is not your fault. You are not to blame, no matter how guilty the person doing this to you is trying to make you feel. Your partner should not be doing this to you.”
“If you feel afraid, it may be abuse. Sometimes people behave in ways that are scary and make you feel threatened – even without using physical violence. Listen to your gut.”
“It is important to talk about this. If you do not want to talk with me, find someone you trust and talk with that person. You can also talk to someone at a hotline who can help you sort things out.”
One of SCY’s strong community partners working to reduce and prevent teen dating violence is Between Friends. As a nonprofit agency dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence and building a community free of abuse, in its Rogers Park offices on the north side of Chicago, Between Friends offers a number of essential, free services, including: a toll-free Crisis Line (800-603-HELP), counseling for victims and their children, court advocacy, and prevention and education efforts, including healthcare education and a teen dating violence prevention program called REACH (Relationship Education: A Choice for Hope).
Between Friends highlights a number of actions individuals can take to contribute to the fight against teen dating violence:
Encourage your neighborhood watch to look out for domestic violence. Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence
Speak out publicly against domestic violence
Provide training for your employees in how to identify and address domestic violence in the workplace. Call 773-274-5232 x 14 for more information about customized trainings.
all your federal, state, and local legislators and ask them to reinstate and/or increase funding for domestic violence services.
Support a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or family member who is being abused.
Invite speakers to your religious congregation, workplace, or civic group to help educate others on domestic violence issues.
If you find yourself in an emergency, or are dealing with a teen that you suspect to be perpetrating or suffering from teen dating violence, please utilize the following resources, or any resources listed above:
Between Friends (Crisis Line 800-603-HELP)
City of Chicago Domestic Violence Helpline (877-863-6338)
National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-SAFE or 800-799-7233)
The National Center for Victims of Crime – Help for Crime Victims
Each one of our voices matters. Join SCY, Between Friends, the City of Chicago, and the nation in this fight for safety and protection against teen dating violence and adult domestic violence and abuse.
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