Sexual Violence & Dating

“Dating violence can be a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner.”

Sometimes perpetrators of dating violence don't realize they are engaging in violent and inappropriate behaviors. And often victims, though uncomfortable, are not aware that they are victims of this kind of violence, especially because they are not familiar with the signs.

Click Here to see some other AWESOME PSAs on Teen Sexual Violence Awareness.

What is Teen Dating Violence?

"Dating violence is controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior in a romantic relationship" – National Center for Victims of Crime.

Types of Abuse

Physical Abuse – Abuse that causes injury or trauma to another person by way of bodily contact.

Hitting, shoving, choking, pulling (hair, body part), use of a weapon.

Emotional Abuse – Usually verbal abuse that leaves the victim feeling

Gaslighting, threatening, terrorizing, name-calling, shaming, embarrassing on purpose, keeping from family/friends.

Sexual Abuse – Forcing someone to engage in a sexual act when he/she does not or cannot consent.

Touching you in unwanted ways, ignoring if you changed your mind from yes to no, etc.

Technological/Digital Abuse – The use of technology to harass, threaten, falsely impersonate, or monitor someone.

Posting unwanted pictures/information of someone, going through their phone without consent, making a fake profile of someone and claiming to be them.

Financial Abuse – Abuse of one's finances.

Stealing, continuing to borrow money without paying back, etc.

Teen Dating Violence Statistics

From the CDC (2021):

26% of women and 15% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 18.
About 1 in 8 female and 1 in 26 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year
Nearly 1 in 11 female and approximately 1 in 14 male high school students report having experienced physical dating violence in the last year.