Teen Dating Violence
Violence is a serious threat to the health and well being of adolescents in the United States today. Teen dating violence can have serious consequences. The effects range from missing a few classes to attempting suicide. Abuse also affects future relationships. The attorney general’s victim assistance division offers a statutorily required service to victims of domestic violence through its Address Confidentiality Program. The focus on teen dating violence prevention is a proactive approach to combating domestic violence. The objective is to stop the abuse before it becomes a cycle.
Dating abuse is a pattern of violent behavior – physical, emotional, or sexual – by one partner in a dating relationship toward the other. Educating students, school personnel, youth leaders and parents about these staggering statistics may help open the dialog about this serious issue so that we can work together toward prevention:
- 1 in 11 youth reports being a victim of physical dating violence each year (CDC, 2006).
- 1 in 4 youth reports verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse each year (CDC, 2006).
- Victims of dating abuse are not only at increased risk for injury, they are also more likely to engage in binge drinking, suicide attempts, physical fights and sexual activity (CDC, 2006).
- Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their dating relationships continue to date their abuser (Teenage Research Unlimited, 2006).
- Adolescents in abusive relationships often carry these unhealthy patterns of abuse into future relationships (Smith et al. 2003).
In 2007, 11.6% of Indiana High School youth reported being hit, slapped or physically hurt by their boyfriend or girlfriend. One important aspect of dating violence is sexual coercion or assault. In 2007 the CDC surveyed about sexual assault for the first time in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey’s history. The result was that 5.3% of males in high school reported being physically forced into sexual intercourse as well as 13.2% of the females surveyed in Indiana (YRBS, 2007). While we do not know if this was in correlation with intimate partner violence, we do know that approximately 70% of women knew their perpetrators as a boyfriend, friend or casual acquaintance.
Of the 10.8% of Indiana high school females that reported being physically hit, slapped or otherwise, those that are 16 or 17 years old are slightly more at risk. Of the males aged 15 of younger, 10.7% reported being physically hurt by their girlfriends and those 18 years of age or older are slightly more at risk. In Indiana the Latino and Black population report dating violence more than other demographics. The highest rate amongst women was from the Latino community, and the highest rate among men was among the Black community.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office is pleased to provide in collaboration with the Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault, educational material that will address the importance of healthy relationships and the prevention of dating abuse. The Center for Disease Control’s Choose Respect program is a national effort designed to motivate youth to challenge harmful beliefs about dating abuse and take steps to form respectful relationships.
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