February is Teen Dating Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Did you know that among teens and young adults, 1 in 3 teens will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse from someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults.  And nearly half (43%) of U.S. College women report experiencing violent or abusive dating behaviors.  These facts are sobering.

The month of February has been dedicated as Teen Dating Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  The purpose of setting aside a dedicated month for teens and young adults, is to focus on helping them know the red flags of abuse, how to set healthy boundaries, understand consent and have a safety plan in place should it be needed.  This is a great time for parents to sit down with their teens and have that discussion.  The conversation does not have to be difficult.  In fact, there’s a lot of information on the internet.  One site, in particular, is Love Is Respect.org.  They have a wealth of information on all of this.  You may also want to check with your kid’s high school to see what information they have on file to address this.  Awareness is key if we want to stop the violence!

There is more than can be done.  I plan on going to my City Council to ask them to proclaim February as Teen Dating Domestic Violence Awareness month.  When I asked them to proclaim October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, they were all too glad to do so.  The process was easy.  If you are interested in having your city proclaim February for Teen Dating Domestic Violence Awareness month, please reach out to me at brokentoboldness7@gmail.com.  You can also reach me on my website at www.brokentoboldness.com  If I can do this, so can you!

Lastly, consider reaching out to the local domestic violence shelters in your community.  Perhaps you can donate funds, clothing, toiletries or volunteer your time. 

Thank you for listening and until next time, Dieu Le Veult!