The Big Picture: Teen Dating Violence Week

Monday, February 4, 2008

Teen Dating Violence Week

February 4 – 8 is National Teen Dating Violence Week, and it seems very much on theme. In January we brought you a variety of posts on violence among teens, so today we'd like to offer some resources, in addition to our Center, for teens in dating relationships and parents talking to their teens about dating.

First is the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, a toll-free hotline (1-866-331-9474) with an accompanying website. It includes a “Teen Dating Bill of Rights” and videos submitted by teens, plus lots of information. They also have "live chat" available several hours a day.

For younger teens, there is GirlsAllowed, designed to help girls engage in developing the building blocks of healthy relationships.

From the CDC there is Choose Respect, which is geared toward ages 11 – 14.

Finally, visit The Safe Space created by Break the Cycle and sponsored by Verizon Wireless and The Avon Foundation.

Information for this post was borrowed from "Domestic Violence and the Workplace", a blog effort by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Another excellent resource is "The Dating Violence Prevention Center". There website is www.preventdv.org. They are in the process of launching a massive online campaign called, "He loves me...He loves me not". Check It out!; March 4, 2008 at 11:44 AM

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Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through physical, sexual, emotional, and/or financial abuse. Both men and women are capable of misusing power and perpetrating violence, and male victims are often just as afraid to call the police. More resources for female survivors exist, however, because overwhelmingly women and children suffer the most severe consequences (medical, legal, social, and financial) and therefore require the most intensive interventions.

Many women choose to stay in abusive relationships because they do not want their relationship to end...just the violence. Women often remain in, or return to, abusive relationships because their partners threaten to harm them and their loved ones if they attempt to leave. Commonly, women choose to leave when they become convinced that their life is at risk, or that their children are in danger.

Domestic violence is not just a "family matter". The violence will not stop until men and women come together with a common attitude of non-tolerance. We must speak out for those who may not feel safe speaking up, and our children must learn through our words and example that violence is never justified.