Dating Violence On The Rise - 2030 Words

Dating Violence on the Rise Immediately upon hearing about another abusive case in the news, many people’s minds are triggered to automatically associate violence in relationships with adults. In reality, our society is often unaware that 1 in 3 teens experience dating violence on a daily basis. This is a total of 1.5 million students across the country, according to the National Dating Abuse Hotline and awareness group, Break the Cycle. Meaning, in an average American graduating class of three hundred, one hundred of those students will have experienced forms of physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, verbal, financial, technological or spiritual/cultural abuse. â€Å"Dating violence is controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior in†¦show more content†¦Humiliation, jealousy, accusations, threats, possessiveness, overdependence and withdrawal of attention are other signs of this severity of violence (â€Å"The Facts about Teen Dating Violence†). â€Å" Of tweens (age 11-14) who have been in a dating relationship, 62% say they know peers who have been verbally abused by a dating partner† (Liz Claiborne, Inc/Teen Research Unlimited, 2007). Frequently, verbal and emotional abuse contains the use of technology. People abuse the use of the internet, computer, cell phones, email, etc. is all agencies of abuse. â€Å"Their battleground becomes the telephone and social media--where put-downs, name calling and jealousy manifest in angry phone calls and Facebook posts† (Duret). Some do not fully realize the effect words can have on a person. Words hurt. Next, sexual violence in teen relationships is the highest on the list. Dangers may include non-consented touching and kissing, forced sex, or pornography. As stated on the website loveisrespect.org, â€Å"girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experiences the highest rate of intimate partner violence—almost triple the national average† (Dating Abuse S tatistics). These issues can lead to unplanned pregnancy, attempted suicide and serious emotional instability. Staying alert to these issues not only is important to one’s safety, but can potentially be helpful to a future acquaintance or relationship. In