Child Safety: Helping Teens in Abusive Relationships
If your teen is dating, you probably spend a lot of time setting curfews and boundaries—not to mention forking over cash! But you may not be spending a lot of time thinking about the child safety issue of teen dating abuse.
Dating abuse can happen to anyone, at any age, no matter what race or religion they are, and no matter what their level of education or economic background. Dating abuse also occurs in same-sex relationships. Further, dating abuse is probably more common in teen relationships than you realize—one in five teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped or pushed by a partner.
Whether your teen is single, dating or in a serious relationship, share these tips with your teen now, so they'll know how to identify dating abuse and how to get help if they ever find themselves involved in an abusive relationship.
What does dating abuse mean?
Dating abuse isn't an argument every once in a while, or a bad mood after a bad day. Dating abuse (or "relationship abuse") is a pattern of controlling behavior that someone uses against a girlfriend or boyfriend.
Abuse can cause injury and even death, but it doesn't have to be physical. It can include verbal and emotional abuse—constant insults, isolation from family and friends, name calling, controlling what someone wears—and it can also include sexual abuse.
If your teens find themselves in an abusive relationship they should know to:
Talk to a friend. If your teen hasn't already told a friend about what's happening in his or her relationship, they should be encouraged to try it. They should ask their friend to listen without trying to solve the problem for them.
Try taking a break. If your teen is not happy with the way they're being treated, but they're not sure what to do, encourage them to consider taking some time alone to think about it.
Consider talking to an adult. If your teen feels their situation is too big to handle alone, it may help to find a trusted adult. If they're not comfortable talking to you, encourage them to try a teacher, the parent of a friend or even a counselor.
If your teen doesn't feel safe, she/he should try to not be alone with their boyfriend/girlfriend. Even if they're not ready to make any major decisions about the relationship, if your teen feels scared when they're alone together, they should try to avoid it. Encourage them to spend time in groups and in public as much as possible. Visit Loveisrespect.org for more child safety information for teens.
Provided byLove is Respect
Submit!
