Do you have a young woman in your life?  Maybe a daughter or a granddaughter?  If so, ask yourself the following questions, then challenge yourself to accept the reality.

Do you think she is too young to worry about dating violence?

 

• Nearly half of girls between 10 and 12 know friends who are verbally abused.¹
• 1 in 5 of girls aged 13 to 14 have a friend that is or has been a victim of dating violence.¹
• 72% of the girls in 8^th or 9^th are already dating and therefore at risk.²

 

Do you think dating violence doesn’t happen in the school she attends?

 

• It doesn’t matter what neighborhood you live in, teen dating violence runs across race, gender, and socioeconomic lines.³
• 1 in 3 teens in the United States reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped or physically hurt by their dating partner.⁴
• Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.⁵

 

Do you think she’s too mature to find herself caught in an abusive relationship?

 

• Girls between the ages of 16 and 24 experiences the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average.⁶
• Nearly half of dating college women report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors.⁷
• 1 in 6 college women have been sexually abused in a dating relationship.⁷

 

Now you know.  The reality is that dating violence can affect you or someone you love.

• No matter how rich or poor your family is
• No matter what type of home you come from
• No matter what color your skin is
• No matter how old you are
• No matter what gender you are
• No matter what level of education you have reached
• No matter what religion you are
• No matter whether you are on your first date or have been dating for a year

 

 

If you are ready to learn how to start the conversation about dating violence with the young women in your life, consider inviting Teen FOCUS to speak to your group.  Learn more about the workshops we offer here.

Many of you will even have experienced some form of relationship abuse in your past. Others of you will know someone at work, in your family, or your church who has or is experiencing abuse.  If you need help for yourself or for someone you know, please contact us at FOCUS Ministries.

 

 Sources:

1. TRU study for Liz Claibourne, Inc. & Nat’l NTDA Helpline, (2008)
2. Foshee VA, Linder GF, Bauman KE, et al.The Safe Dates Project: theoretical basis, evaluation design, and selected baseline findings. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 1996; 12(2):39-47
3. “Teen Victim Project,” National Center for Victims of Crime, 2004
4. Liz Claiborne Inc., Conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, (February 2005)
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Physical Dating Violence Among High School Students—United States, 2003,”Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 19, 2006, Vol. 55, No. 19
6. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice and Statistics,Intimate Partner Violence in the United States, 1993-2004.  2006
7. Fifth & Pacific Companies, Inc. (Formerly: Liz Claiborne, Inc.), Conducted by Knowledge Networks, (December 2010). “College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll”