National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week was declared to be the first week of February in 2006. Four years later in 2010, as more people gathered together to make programs and bring more awareness to dating violence, Congress changed National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week to the whole month of February which is also known as TDVAM.
Teen dating violence tends to occur when an individual does not know how to communicate properly with their significant other, when a person suffers from depression, anxiety, or any other emotional problem, when someone is constantly being pressured to do something out of character, and when drugs or alcohol is introduced to the relationship.
“Dating Violence is a real thing and can happen to anyone. As school counselors, this is something we work through with students who are in unhealthy relationships. It’s important that students share their concerns with a trusted adult to help get support. In addition, when a friend shares this it’s important to also tell an adult that can help,” head counselor Michelle Rodriguez said.
There are three primary kinds of dating violence, including verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. Verbal, also known as emotional abuse, includes name calling, yelling, spreading rumors, threats, stalking, bullying, technology harassment, and other things of this nature. Physical abuse involves shoving, slapping, punching, kicking, and hitting of any kind. Sexual abuse includes unwanted touching, kissing, and forced sexual activity in any way.
“If you have someone who is kind of your lifeline in the relationship, or like a third person, always make sure they are aware of these signs and how they treat you and talk to you because they could be the clarity and the fine line between being too much and just right,” junior Sydney Holmes said.
About 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience some form of abuse per year. One in every three girls is a victim of verbal, physical, or sexual abuse from a significant other. Designated months like this allow for public education and awareness activities for all.
“It starts with a conversation and people speaking up when it is hard, maybe in meeting or anonymously if they prefer that,” junior Ella Schwerman said.
Vawnet.org is a website for the Young Hearts Matter project that was published by the Texas Council on Family Violence. The Young Hearts Matter project is a bundle for those to use during TDVAM and/or when you find yourself in an abusive relationship you are trying to get out of. The bundle includes resources, toolkits, activity guides, posters, a relationship bill of rights, a teen dating abuse brochure, and more. Vawnet is a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.
“Talk to someone you can trust and no matter how you feel about that person, value yourself more,” Schwerman said.
Signs to look for in a person that may mean they are in a violent relationship include a change or withdraw in activities, depression, anxiety, constantly checking in with their significant other, overly self crucial, insecure, secretive, apologetic, and more.
“I am very proud we have a month to represent this, but I am also kind of ashamed at the fact that nobody talks about it considering it is so relevant in our lives, especially at this age,” Holmes said.
