Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

For the month of February, Crime Stoppers focuses on the issue of Teen Dating Violence (TDV). Also called intimate partner violence, TDV includes physical, psychological, sexual, and electronic abuse, and can happen with a current or former partner.  Teens often think some behaviors, like teasing and name-calling, are a “normal” part of a relationship, but these behaviors can become abusive and develop into serious forms of violence. Other common forms of TDV include: sending repeated and unwanted messages cyberstalking (constantly checking location via social media or another app) pressuring a partner to perform sexual acts or send explicit pictures frequently criticizing and humiliating their partner refusing to take accountability for their bad actions forbidding a partner from talking to certain people spreading rumors about sexual activity going through a partner’s phone without permission Many teens do not report unhealthy behaviors. 33% of adolescents in America experience some form of dating abuse, but only one-third of students experiencing TDV ever report it1. Part of that is due to students not recognizing the forms of abuse they see, but another reason is because of the fear and stigma around being victimized by a partner. At Crime Stoppers, not only do we seek […]