February is Nation Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM). This month provides an excellent opportunity for our communities to demonstrate their commitment to ending teen dating violence and support the numerous victims and survivors who are among us. One in three teens in the US is a victim of physical, emotional or sexual abuse from a dating partner. These violent relationships have serious consequences for victims - putting them at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide and adult re-victimization. Now is the time to educate our families and communities about the seriousness of teen dating violence and the prevalence of this epidemic in our lives.
Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year, yet eighty-one percent of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue. This is a huge problem. Parents, and really, anyone involved in a teen's life need to be able to see and understand the warning signs of teen dating violence. It’s important to remember there does not need to be physical violence or hitting for abuse to occur. Some warning signs of dating violence are excessive jealousy, attempts to isolate you from friends or family, insulting or putting down people that you care about, very controlling behavior, checking your cell phone or e-mail without permission, possessiveness, mood swings, physically harming you in any way, and pressuring or forcing you to have sex. Adults need to be aware of the seriousness and the consequences of violent teen dating relationships. They also need to be prepared to help in case someone comes to them for help.
The only way to combat this serious issue affecting so many of our adolescents is through prevention education and awareness. Therefore Embrace (formerly TimeOut) offers resources to local schools, such as informational displays with staggering statistics, and presentations/discussions that focus on teen dating violence and healthy relationships. Embrace also facilitates groups in all four school districts in Washburn count. These groups focus on self-esteem, respect, healthy relationships, coping, stress, gender roles/stereotypes, and many more topics. Embrace also has a Facebook page and each program coordinator has recently created their own page as a way to reach teens. They’ve found social media to be a less intimidating way for teens to reach out for help. Additionally, Embrace offers a text line, where an advocate is available to respond 24/7.
It’s also important to teach and demonstrate to teens what health relationships looks like. Healthy relationships should involve accountability, trust, respect, support, affirmation, open communication, negotiation, and compromise. When a child sees their parents and other role models modeling healthy relationships, they’ll be more able to identify unhealthy or abusive warning signs in their own relationships.
The topic of nonviolence in general needs to be talked about more openly. We need to get away from the notion that these are "family issues" or "private issues". These are community issues. Victims and survivors need to feel that they have a supportive and informed community behind them. We need to keep working toward being informed and aware of what is going on around us, and in our schools and neighborhoods.
Visit Embrace’s Facebook pages at:
- www.facebook.com/Embracewi
- www.facebook.com/EmbraceDVPCWashburn www.facebook.com/EmbraceSVPCWashburn
For more information about Teen Dating Violence, Domestic or Sexual Violence and the services available in your community, please contact Embrace at 715-635-5245, text 715-532-6976 24/7, or visit their website at www.embracewi.org
[Statistics courtesy of www.loveisrespect.org]
Last Update: Feb 13, 2017 12:37 am CST
