{"id":7430,"date":"2023-02-09T17:26:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T17:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=7430"},"modified":"2023-02-09T17:26:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T17:26:56","slug":"lets-talk-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/09\/lets-talk-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLet\u2019s Talk About It\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fonda J. Royster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Fonda J. Royster, DV Resource Specialist, Family Court Services<\/strong><\/em>
\nGuest Column<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Teen Dating Violence, also known as \u201cTDV,\u201d is an increasing public health crisis, especially in Lucas County. Talking around it or avoiding the topic does not eradicate its existence, nor does it decrease the number of youth being affected by it.<\/p>\n

Statistics <\/em><\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 3 teens in the U.S. is a victim of physical, social, emotional, and\/or verbal abuse from a dating partner. 1 in 11 female high school students experience physical dating violence; 1 in 14 in males.1 in 8 female high school students experience sexual dating violence; 1 in 26 in males.<\/p>\n

Sexual minority groups are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence, as well as some racial\/ethnic minority groups. Young adults in LGBTQ relationships worry that their partner will out them to their family and friends.<\/p>\n

When unaddressed, teen violence has significant short-term and long-term effects on the survivors. This includes, but not limited to:\u00a0 symptoms of depression and\/or anxiety, substance abuse, self-mutilation (cutting), and suicidal ideation\/suicide attempts.<\/p>\n

Technology adds fuel to the fire regarding TDV. The Center for Prevention of Abuse (CFPA) found that teens in abusive intimate relationships reported that their partner sends them texts\/emails\/etc. to engage in unwanted sex acts, which includes sending sexually explicit photos of themselves. Teens in abusive intimate relationships also reported that their partner tampered with their social networking accounts without permission and their partners read their text messages without consent.<\/p>\n

HOW TO COUNTERATTACK TEEN DATING VIOLENCE<\/p>\n

According to the CFPA, 80 percent percent of parents either don\u2019t believe that TDV is an issue or don\u2019t know anything about it. So it is imperative that caregivers, adolescents, teachers, medical professionals, and law enforcement are educated on how to identify the signs of teen dating abuse. These signs include: physical (hitting, kicking), verbal\/emotional (name calling, threatening), sexual (rape, refusal to use contraception), financial monitoring spending, harassment at the workplace), digital (has passwords, pressure to send explicit messages), and stalking (showing up uninvited, tracking on social media platforms).<\/p>\n

Moreover, preventative measures need to occur. An important measure is learning about health relationships. Healthy relationships involve:<\/p>\n