What are the facts and statistics about Teen Dating Violence?
• Dating abuse is not just physical. It is defined as: “Any hurtful or unwanted physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional act inflicted by a casual or intimate dating partner.” Source: C. McShane, “Warning: Dating May Be Hazardous To Your Health”, 1988. It’s an epidemic: • One-third of teens report experiencing some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships, including verbal and emotional abuse. Source: Carolyn Tucker Halpern, Ph.D. et al., “Partner Violence among Adolescents in Opposite-Sex Romantic Relationships: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.” American Journal of Public Health 91 (2001) 1680. • More than 1 in 10 teens– about 12%– experience actual physical violence in their dating relationships. • Women ages 16 to 24 are most likely to be victims of dating violence Source: US Dept. of Justice. • During the 1996-1997 school year, there were an estimated 4,000 incidents or acts of sexual assault in public schools across the United States. • 40%
