- 1 in 3 high school teens in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse from a dating partner. ( loveisrespect.org )
- 1 in 5 of U.S. teen girls report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence in an intimate relationship. ( www.futureswithoutviolence.org )
- 1 in 4 teens in a relationship report having been called names, harassed, or put down by their partner by cell phone or texting. ( www.futureswithoutviolence.org )
- Only 33% of students experiencing partner violence ever told someone about the abuse. ( loveisrespect.org )
Adolescents are especially vulnerable for abuse for many reasons:
The brain of a young person is still developing until age 25. In this development, they are learning the skills around assertive communication, the complexities of relationships, and creating healthy boundaries. This stage of development paired with peer pressures, social pressures for intimacy, and media’s failure to show healthy examples of dating and intimate relationships, make it challenging for individuals to differentiate a healthy vs. unhealthy relationship.
Are you in a healthy relationship?
Does the person you are hanging out with, seeing, or dating:
- Treat you well?
- Respect you (including what you feel comfortable doing physically or sexually)?
- Give you space to hang out with your friends?
- Let you wear what you want to wear?
- Make you feel safe and comfortable?
- Not pressure you to try to get drunk or high because they want to have sex with you?
- Respect your boundaries and ask if it’s okay to touch or kiss you?
Ask yourself if the person you are seeing treats you with respect and if you treat them with respect.
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and everyone deserves to be in a healthy relationship. If you want to talk about your relationship, myHealth is a safe place to come and talk with a caring adult. For more information check out these sites:
www.futureswithoutviolence.org
24-Hour Crisis Line: 612-871-5111