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| Information about Teen Dating Violence How to Reduce the Risk of Dating Violence How to End an Unhealthy Relationship What You Can Do to Keep Yourself Safe
Information
about Teen Dating Violence: Dating
violence is very common. It
happens mainly to women. Types
of dating violence include: 1.
Abusive
tactics- lies,
broken promises, withholding affection, extreme jealousy, insults, putdowns,
threats, and controlling behaviors 2.
Physical
abuse-
punching, kicking, shaking, slapping, physically restraining, using a weapon,
and unwanted touching 3.
Sexual
abuse- forced sexual contact from kissing to intercourse and sexual
comments. Abuse
is never the victim’s fault. There is often a pattern that leads up to the abuse. There are some warning signs to look for to identify abusive behavior.
How
to Reduce the Risk of Dating Violence: Communicate clearly with the other person. Make sure they know that you will not tolerate any abuse. Also let them know your boundaries, especially sexual boundaries, before a situation may arise. Stay
in control
of yourself. Stay away from alcohol
and drugs so that you do not become vulnerable.
Make sure that you have your own way home in case you need it. Also, always make sure that you have change for a pay phone
in case you need it. Trust
your instincts. If you have a concern or just don’t feel right about a
person or situation, get away. You
do not want to put yourself in a situation that you do not feel comfortable
with. You also do not want to be
with someone you have a bad feeling about. Be
picky about who you date. Make sure you pay attention to little things about them.
Some of the things that you should watch out for are putting others down,
using alcohol or drugs, always wanting to be in control, having angry outbursts,
becoming extremely jealous, using physical force on others, driving recklessly,
and drinking and driving. If you
are going to date, you deserve to be with a person who is going to respect you
and who you can have a healthy relationship with. Avoid
being in isolated places,
especially when you do not know the other person well.
Make sure that others are around in case you begin to feel uncomfortable
or unsafe.
How
to End an Unhealthy Relationship: 1.
Believe
in yourself. Know that you deserve
to be with someone who will respect you. Know
what your feelings are and go along with them. 2.
Get
help. This may include receiving medical attention, contacting law
enforcement, talking to a friend or someone working in the domestic abuse field,
and counseling. Law enforcement,
friends, and those working in the domestic abuse field will listen, inform you
of options that you have, and will help you contact other resources for help.
Going into counseling will give you someone to talk to that can help you
to deal with your feelings. 3.
Get
out. When you get out of an abusive relationship, do what you can
to keep yourself safe. Stay away
from the abuser, talk to people who can help you, do not go places alone, and be
aware of your surroundings.
What You Can Do to Keep Yourself Safe: At home:
At school:
When out with friends:
Other resources:
Contact
Advocates for Family Peace for assistance at: 218-326-0388 1-800-909-8336 or after hours
at: 1-800-442-8565 |