Teens – Expect Respect
Warning signs of an abusive partner
Does your partner:
- Control who you can talk to or hang out with?
- Text or call you constantly to “check up” on you?
- Tell you what to wear?
- Insult you or make you feel like no one else would want you?
- Threaten you?
- Lose his/her temper easily?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship. Help is available.
If you have a friend you think might be in an abusive relationship:
- Be there to listen and offer support.
- Encourage your friend to talk to a trusted adult.
- Be informed – know what dating violence is and where to get help.
- If your friend decides to end the relationship, help him/her get in contact with Womansplace to develop a safety plan.
- Never blame the victim for the violence or abuse happening in the relationship. No one wants to be abused.
Statistics
- Females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group – at a rate almost triple the national average.
- One in three teens reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped or physically hurt by their dating partner.
- One in four teens has experienced verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
- Half of reported date rapes occur among teenagers.
- Intimate partner violence among teens is associated with increased risk of substance abuse, unhealthy weight control behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, pregnancy and suicide.
- 20% of surveyed male students report witnessing someone they go to high school with physically hit a person they were dating.