Teen Dating Violence RED FLAGS

• Shoves, slaps, chokes, hits, or uses weapons against me
• Constantly checks up on me or makes me check in
• Isolates me from my friends
• Texts or calls me excessively
• Has frequent mood swings: Is angry one minute and the next minute is sweet and apologetic
• Puts me down, calls me names, or criticizes me
• Breaks things or throws things to intimidate me
• Yells, screams, or humiliates me in front of others
• Threatens to hurt him/herself because of me
• Makes me feel nervous or like I'm walking on eggshells
• Forces me into proving my love or loyalty constantly
• Pressures me into having sex

If a teen answers "YES" to any of these questions, they may be in an abusive relationship. - Hope's Door

Why Focus on Young People?

• Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence – almost triple the national average.
• Among female victims of intimate partner violence, 94% of these age 16-19 and 70% of those age 20-24 were victimized by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Violent behavior typically begins between the ages of 12 and 18.
• The severity of intimate partner violence is often greater in cases where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence.

Lack of Awareness

• Only 33% of teens who were in a violent relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.
• Eighty-one (81) percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.
• Though 82% of parents feel confident that they could recognize the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse, a majority of parents (58%) could not correctly identify all the warning signs of abuse.