Teen dating violence awareness month

(WTNH) - February is Teen Dating Violence (TDV) Awareness and Prevention month.

The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and its 18 member organizations work year round to offer support to these victims and to help raise awareness about TDV. Connecticut has a greater percentage of teens involved in dating violence than the national average. They think its important for parents and teens to recognize the warning signs of an abusive relationship.

Facts:

- Of the 39 states that participated in 2007 survey, Connecticut ranked ninth, with 13.4 percent of its teens involved in a physically violent dating relationship. That’s higher than the national average of 10 percent

- Among Connecticut students, physical dating violence is most prevalent among seniors (18.9 percent) and Latinos (17.1 percent).

- In the same survey, 9.7 percent of Connecticut’s students reported being physically
forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to. This includes 9 percent of the freshmen who participated in the survey.

- 16% of students in the state of Connecticut have been hit, slapped or physically hurt by their boyfriend or girlfriend. 14.1% of Females 17.8% of Males

The following ten facts are from Choose Respect's "Get the Facts: Dating Abuse Statistics" and "About Choose Respect: Dating Abuse Fact Sheet":

- Each year approximately one in four adolescents reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

- Approximately one in five adolescents reports being a victim of emotional abuse.

- Approximately one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.

- Dating violence among their peers is reported by 54% of high school students.

- One in three teens report knowing a friend or peer who has been physically hurt by his or her partner through violent actions which included hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, and/or choking.

- Eighty percent of teens believe verbal abuse is a serious issue for their age group.

- Nearly 80% of girls who have been victims of physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date the abuser.

- Nearly 20% of teen girls who have been in a relationship said that their boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm in the event of a break-up.

- Nearly 70% of young women who have been raped knew their rapist; the perpetrator was or had been a boyfriend, friend, or casual acquaintance.

- The majority of teen dating abuse occurs in the home of one of the partners

Learn more at http://www.ctcadv.org/