Solutions to teenage dating violence
04-Jul-2020 12:32
Growing up a teenager in my parents’ house, I was taught this very basic principle about dating: If he ever hits you, leave.And that’s all good and well, except for that when I ended up in an emotionally abusive relationship, I was entirely unequipped to understand it.Additionally, approximately 70% of college students say that they have been sexually coerced.And maybe this shouldn’t be so surprising considering that marital rape was considered perfectly legal in the United States until the mid-1970’s and wasn’t officially a crime in all 50 states until 1993.Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.
But if it causes you discomfort, shame, or fear, then it’s not okay, it’s not healthy, and it’s not love.
Abusive behaviors – like guilt-tripping and limiting outside involvement with other people – are often justified using “jealousy” as an excuse, and possessive discourse runs rampant as a sign of affection.
