Dating Violence Prevention
While it's hard to think that your children could become victims or perpetrators of dating violence or that it could be prevalent in your own community, one of the best ways to protect children is to increase awareness that dating violence is present in adolescence. The key to teen dating violence prevention is to intervene early – even as early as the elementary school years – as well as to increase awareness among parents and school personnel.
Intervene Early with Pre-Teens and Teens
It’s also important to address family violence in the home. Children exposed to IPV and/or child maltreatment are more likely to themselves become involved in IPV throughout adolescence and adulthood as victims, perpetrators or both. A child can be an “indirect victim” of IPV as a witness and still face the serious consequences of the abuse. Through programs such as CHOP’s STOP Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), which provides support for IPV universal education by healthcare providers in order to support families experiencing IPV and allows for trauma-informed intervention to minimize the adverse effects of childhood IPV exposure, this cycle of violence can be interrupted. Dating violence can be stopped before it starts with early intervention. Open, honest discussions with teens are important. By helping youth to establish positive relationship-building skills in preteen and teen years, certain risk factors for dating violence victimization or perpetration can be mitigated. Some effective school-based programs change norms, improve problem-solving, and address dating violence in addition to other youth risk behaviors, such as substance use and sexual risk behaviors. Other programs prevent dating violence through changes to the school environment or training influential adults, like parents/caregivers and coaches, to work with youth to prevent dating violence.
Dating Violence Prevention: Awareness
In today’s digital age, dating violence perpetuated through technology adds to the covert nature of this abuse. Approximately 28 % of teens in dating relationships report some form of cyber dating abuse victimization. Technological abuse can include repetitive texting or phone calls, online insults or threats, or posting photos, videos, and intimate messages without consent.
In a sample of more than 4,200 9th grade students across 11 states in the US, 56% reported victimization in the form of cyber dating abuse. In a survey of 7-12th grade students in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, just over a quarter of youth in a relationship said that they experienced some form of cyber dating abuse victimization in the prior year. The results also revealed a link between cyber dating abuse and other forms of dating violence.
Those experiencing sexual cyber abuse victimization, which can involve coercive sexting or pressure for explicit images, are far more likely to also face sexual coercion. Sexual coercion itself, whether offline or tied to digital pressure, has been reported at around 13% in some youth dating studies.
Teens generally do not view the various forms of cyber dating abuse as violence, but “annoying” behaviors by their partners. Raising awareness about the prevalence and serious consequences of perpetrating cyber dating violence and educating victims about the importance of reporting incidents and seeking help are paramount.
Dating Violence Prevention: School Policies
In December 2013, Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 1116. By amending the Public School Code, this bill helps schools address teen dating violence. It ensures that schools take the following measures to prevent IPV.
It’s important to note that approximately 50 percent of teens who experience physical abuse from a dating partner are abused on school premises, making this a vital issue for school personnel. The CDC found that integrating prevention strategies in junior high and high school curricula and Public School Code are effective at deterring attitudes and behaviors that lead to IPV.
- Have a policy on dating violence
- Train school faculty on dating violence
- Educate students in grades 7-12 about dating violence
- Partner with local domestic violence and rape crisis programs to develop materials, resources, and responses that are best suited to the unique needs of teen victims.
Currently, there is a pending State Bill to update school dating violence policies which would update the law by strengthening requirements for how schools develop and implement policies on dating violence reporting and response.
The U.S. Supreme Court has mandated that it is a school’s legal duty to protect the welfare of its students. By implementing faculty training programs and response policies, in addition to providing teens with instruction on dating violence, schools can help ensure student safety.
Click here to see if teen dating violence education is required in your state.
Click here to view US State Laws Addressing the prevention of and response to teen dating violence.
