HRDC working to raise awareness of teen dating violence

From District IV Human Resources Development Council

February is the month of love, but it is also Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. District 4 Human Resources Development Council Domestic Abuse Program is joining the efforts of loveisrespect.org to promote healthy relationships.

Dating abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, financial status, race, gender, sexual orientation or background, and if we want to raise awareness about it and help prevent it, we need to go back to the basics!

Dating abuse is rooted in power and control. Dating abuse is a pattern or behaviors one person uses to gain and maintain power and control over their partner. Young people who abuse their partners do so because they feel they need to exercise power and control over the other person, that is never OK. Drugs and alcohol can affect a person's judgment, but they do not excuse abuse or violence.

If you are a parent of a teenager and fear your child may be in an unhealthy relationship, you are encouraged to speak to an advocate in the Domestic Abuse Program for help. If you are a teenager in an abusive relationship, please reach out for help by speaking to a parent or guardian, teacher, friend or you can also call the Crisis Line at 265-2222 to speak directly to an advocate.

What does abuse look like?

• Physical (hitting, slapping, choking, kicking, shoving, etc.)

• Emotional and verbal (putting you down, embarrassing you in public, threatening you, telling you what to do, telling you what to wear)

• Financial (Taking your paychecks, preventing you from working, controlling where and how you work)

• Digital (Sending threats via text or social media, stalking or humiliating you on social media, forcing you to share your passwords, logging into your social media accounts without permission)

• Sexual (Pressuring or forcing you to do anything sexual without your consent, forcing you to perform sexual acts you're not comfortable with, restricting access to birth control)

Statistics

• In our country 1-in-3 experience dating abuse.

• Only 1/3 of the teens who were involved in an abusive relationship confided in someone about the violence.

• Females between the ages of 16 to 24 are roughly three times more likely than the rest of the population to be abused by an intimate partner.

• Teens who suffer dating abuse are subject to long-term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, promiscuity, thoughts of suicide and violent behavior.

• 50 percent of young people who experience rape, physical or sexual abuse will attempt to commit suicide.

• Teens who have been abused hesitate to seek help because they do not want to expose themselves or are unaware of the laws surrounding domestic violence.