Teen Violence

Dating violence statistics indicate about one in three teens has experienced violence in a dating situation. Dating violence statistics show that number continues into adulthood when about one in four women experience domestic violence in her relationship.

Violence in dating happens in all kinds of relationships usually because one person wants to establish too much control in the relationship. They may have a warped sense of power and wants to use that power to take charge of the relationship. According to dating violence statistics, violence in a relationship happens with people of all races and economic and social backgrounds. Women that are in the age group of 16 to 24 are the most likely to experience the highest per capita rates of dating violence. That number amounts to about 20 per 1,000 women. 

Teen dating violence statistics:

According to dating violence statistics from the Bureau of Justice, about one  in three high school age students have been involved with or in a relationship with someone who is abusive. There are about fourty percent of all teen girls ages 14 to 17 who admit they know someone their age who has been hit, beaten or violently attacked by a boyfriend. One recent study indicated that about 30 to 50 percent of female high school students have reported having been the victim of teen dating violence. 

According to recent numbers about 15 percent of all dating violence victims are actually male among teen and adult males. These statistics are also just based on what is reported for both males and females. Some victims of dating violence might refuse or choose not to tell anyone about the dating violence incident because they feel ashamed or they feel like they may still be in danger from the offender.  Teen dating violence usually takes place in the home of the offender or of the victim, according to dating violence statistics. About one in five of all dating couples have reported some level of violence in their relationship. More than half of young women that are raped, about 68 percent, knew their rapist either as a boyfriend, friend or casual acquaintance. Six out of every 10 rapes of a young woman will occur in their home or the home of a relative, friend or the rapist rather than in a dark alley. While some may believe it to be significantly more common to see cases of domestic violence among married persons, this is not the case. About half of these cases actually involve non-married people. One of the most startling dating violence statistics is that about seven percent of all murder victims were young women who had been killed by their boyfriends.

Dating violence prevention:

While cases of teen date rape and dating violence are going down, according to dating violence statistics, it is still a problem among teens. It is important for teens, both male and female, to understand the importance of having a respectful relationship that does not include violence or other forms of abuse. It is also important to recognize the signs of a potentially abusive partner. Those signs may include the indication that your partner has troubles dealing  with his or her anger and might act out in a phsycial way by throwing objects and hitting things. Another warning sign that your date might become abusive is if they exhibit extreme jealousy, controllilng behavior, quick involvement, unpredictable mood swings, alcohol and drug use, hypersensitivity and is verbally abusive. Other warning signs include a person that isolates you from family and friends, uses force during an argument, threatens violence, is cruel to animals and or children and is always blaming others for their problems or feelings. If your partner is showing any one or more of these signs it is important to reconsider the relationship early on to protect  yourself from a potentially dangerous situation. If your partner is exhibiting some of the lesser signs, it might just be an indication that they need professional help to deal with their issues like anger management or other forms of therapy. Either way, no relationship is worth putting your life in danger, so it is important to recognize the warning signs up front. 

If you have found yourself in a relationship where you are being abused in any way, seek help as soon as possible from another trusted person, parent or from the authorities. 

Sources: acadv.org, dvrc-or.org