Hey girls! With Valentine’s Day being today, we all know that February is the month of love. But what most of us do not know is that February is also Teen Dating Violence (DV) Prevention and Awareness Month.
Dating violence is too common, especially among young youth in almost every community. Unfortunately, nearly 1.5 million high school students experience dating violence every year (and those are just the ones that report it to an authority!).
Not only do violent relationships cause immediate negative consequences in every victim’s life, but it also puts that person at a higher risk for drug use, eating disorders, and sexual behavior. Girls are the most common victims of dating violence, especially girls between the ages of 16 and 24 years old. Don’t get me wrong though, there are many different guys that are victims of dating violence as well. Dating violence can happen to anyone.
When girls experience sexual abuse they only report it to an authority figure six percent of the time. This is where a major part of the problem lies because it makes it really hard for friends or parents to know when someone is in danger.
Many people that are in an abusive relationship don’t actually know that they are in one. It is important for you to be able to recognize these signs so that you can help your friend. Here are top 10 most common signs of an abusive relationship:
- Checking your cell phone or email without permission
- Constant put-downs
- Extreme jealousy or insecurity
- Explosive temper
- Financial control
- Isolating you from family or friends
- Mood swings
- Physically hurting you in any way
- Possessiveness
- Telling you what to do
Dating violence takes on many different forms. It is not just physical. In fact, dating abuse can be anything from emotional/stalking abuse, digital abuse, to financial or sexual abuse.
If you or one of your girlfriends or friends has ever been in an abusive relationship that you knew about, you might have not known exactly what to do to help. For more info on dating abuse and how you can help, check out these national initiatives that are making a difference to help combat teen dating violence around the country. There are many great organizations with a plethora of information.