Teen Dating Violence - Is it an Epidemic?

Are you the parent of a teenager? Or perhaps you are a teenager? Is your child dating? Are you dating? If so, this is one article you won't want to miss. Anyone who has a teenager in the house who is old enough to date may be surprised to find out the following information about teen dating violence and just how common of an occurrence that it is.

Teen dating violence is classified as an act of physical, sexual, or emotional violence against a boyfriend or a girlfriend in a teen relationship. What this means is that a teen in a relationship could be physically violent to his partner or he could also be emotionally abusive to his partner or could also force his partner to perform sexual acts against her will. This may happen only one time or it may be an ongoing problem throughout the relationship, regardless of how many times teen dating violence occurs in a relationship, it is not something that should occur at all. The relationship could be a casual relationship it or could be a serious, committed relationship in which the teenager feels he or she is deeply in love with his or her abuser.

The boy in the relationship is not always the abuser, as one would think. Teenage girls can and have been the abuser in many violent teen dating incidents, however as with most forms of abuse, the male is more often the abuser. Did you know that according to www.safeyouth.org, 1 in 11 students who are in high-school have reported that their dating partner has hit them, slapped them, or in some way has been physically harmed by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the last year? It is has also been reported that 1 in 11 students have also been forced to have some form of sexual intimacy with his or her boyfriend or girlfriend when they didn't want to.

These numbers are pretty scary to think about when it is your teen entering the dating scene. If your child is dating, please be sure to talk to them about what is an acceptable way for a boyfriend or girlfriend to treat them and what is not. Please make sure to tell your child that a boyfriend or girlfriend who pressures them for sex or won't take no for an answer when it comes to sexual matters, is not someone who genuinely cares for them. Please tell them to tell an adult; even if it isn't you, that this is occurring. Tell your child that it is NEVER okay for a boyfriend or a girlfriend to be very jealous, possessive, call them names, put them down, hit them, pinch them, slap them, punch them or try to control their every move. That these types of behavior are actually abusive behaviors and they are not something that they should ever tolerate, regardless of what the boyfriend or girlfriend says or does after the fact.

There are signs that a parent can look for if they suspect their child may be a victim of teen dating violence but hasn't told them of their plight. First, look for a loss of confidence in your child. Does she seem to just not feel good about herself, does she say she can't do certain things anymore, call herself ugly, or perhaps she seems unable to make a decision. If so, she may be a victim of teen dating violence. Does your child stop seeing old friends and perhaps even has grown distant from your family? This is a big red flag in a violent dating scenario. If your child's grades in school are dropping or if she is using drugs or alcohol, these could both be signs that she is in a violent teen relationship. If you suspect this is happening with your child, talk to them and seek help for them.

If you are a teenager and are in an abusive situation, please know that no matter what your partner says or does or how badly he seems to feel after he hurts you, he isn't going to change just like that. Most likely your boyfriend or girlfriend is going to need a lot of help, help that you just can't give him. Your abusive situation isn't going to get better just because you hope it will or because you believe you can help. It isn't your fault, but you do need to tell someone, a trusted adult who can help you through this. Your life could depend on it.

Parenting a teenager isn't easy, being a teenager is even more difficult. There are so many trials and tribulations that occur during this time. Teen dating violence doesn't have to be one of them.