Dating Violence

Teen Dating Violence RED FLAGS

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

• 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

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.