Tools and Resources

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

Introduction

Love tends to be the focus every February. Some advocates and community groups will take the time this month to show what love is not as they participate in Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 9.8 percent of high school students said they were physically hurt, on purpose, by their boyfriend or girlfriend. A 2010 Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found that one in five women and nearly one in seven men who were ever raped, physically assaulted or stalked by an intimate partner, first experienced some form of partner violence between the ages of 11 and 17. Safe Start Center will spotlight the issue of teen dating violence this month on the website, blog and social media outlets. Below are some resources for anyone interested in helping identify, prevent and treat those affected by teen dating violence.

Facts and Statistics about Teen Dating Violence

Dating Violence
A site explaining dating violence, warning signs, and how to stay safe.

Facts About Teen Dating Violence
In this research brief, the authors provide definitions, facts and available legal protections regarding physical, sexual and emotional abuse among teens in intimate or romantic relationships.

Teen Dating Violence Overview
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence offers this resource as background on teen dating violence and a list of projects and referrals for more information on the problem.

Teen Dating Violence
The Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial fund provides facts, curriculum, workshops and resources about the problem of teen dating violence.

Resources for Awareness

Love is Respect
A site for helping teaching awareness about abuse and dating violence and showing where and how to get help.

CDC Injury Center: Violence Prevention and Teen Dating Violence
Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides background information on teen dating violence, what it is, what its consequences are, why it happens, and resources for prevention.

FOCUS Views from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD)
Interpersonal and Physical Dating Violence Among Teens

This document looks at the prevalence, scope of the problem, and recommendations for prevention.

National Conference of State Legislatures Teen Dating Violence
This site provides background on the legislation from 17 different states that involve prevention and education about teen dating violence.

Teen Dating Violence Prevention E-Brief: LOVE IS NOT ABUSE
This brief provides information about teen dating violence awareness month, along with facts and warning signs about the problem.

Resources for Programs

Break the Cycle: Empowering Youth to End Domestic Violence
This curriculum helps connect with teens and teaches them how to prevent and end abusive relationships and build healthy ones.

Curbing Teen Dating Violence: Evidence from a School Prevention Program
RAND provides key findings and highlights on a school program that helps prevent teen dating violence.

Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Toolkit
This toolkit includes a variety of materials such as posters, warning signs, and fact sheets to help raise awareness about teen dating violence.

Healthy Relationships: Teen Dating Violence Curriculum
Curriculum for helping teens to develop health relationships through interactive exercises.

Resources for Parents

Parents Guide to Teen Dating Violence
This pamphlet for parents from the Crime and Violence Prevention Center helps parents to understand teen dating violence, how to recognize signs of abuse, and where they can go for help for their teen.

Teen Dating Abuse Resources—For Parents
This site provides information for parents on how to handle dating abuse and the signs to look for in their teens.

Teen Dating Violence: Tips for Parents
This tip sheet from the American Academy of Pediatrics discusses the myths and facts about teen dating violence and prepares parents for helping protect their kids.

What Do Parents Need to Know About Teen Dating Violence?
This site provides helpful tips and insights for parents about teen dating violence, why teens don’t report abuse, warning signs, and how to help teens cope.