A recent Siskiyou Daily reports on teen dating violence for Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week:
Teen dating violence, a silent epidemic, affects one in three U.S. teens, boys and girls alike.
February 5 – 9 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, and it is the perfect time to help teach parents and teens ways to achieve and maintain positive relationships.
A recent National Crime Prevention Council press release reported that teen dating violence includes physical, emotional, and sexual assault.
It is also preventable.
As teens start romantic relationships, they apply social and parental norms to these new, unfamiliar relationships.
Teens learn how to behave by watching how their parents and their friends conduct themselves in their relationships.
Dating violence is a learned behavior, according to the press release.
The National Crime Prevention Council provided the following tips for parents to help their teens during a confusing time in growing up:
- Talk about the values of healthy relationships; partners show each respect, are honest, trust each other, share thoughts and feelings, and are willing to compromise.
- Educate your teen on the signs of an abusive relationship. Abuse takes many forms.
Unfortunately, teens lack the experience to understand the problem fully. They often fail to prevent, identify, and stop abusive relationships. Accordingly, parents, guardians, and supervisors must intervene to help youths stop and avoid violence.
What do you think?
