Genesis House

Facts on Dating Violence

Dating violence is a serious and sometimes deadly reality for many teens
Dating violence is repeated verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse used to frighten, hurt, and control a girlfriend or boyfriend.
Up to 60% of students are in abusive dating relationships before high school graduation.
25% of high school students have experienced physical violence in their dating relationships.
61% of teens interviewed said the violence had happened on numerous occasions.
Between 25-35% of teens equate jealousy, possessiveness, and violence with love.
25% of teens tell no one about the abuse; of those who seek help, 66% tell a friend and 26% tell a parent.
35% of teens have a friend who has been physically hurt by a dating partner.
When asked, teens identified their home (71%), vehicles (59%), and/or school (53%) as places where the violence most often occurred.
33% of teens reported their relationship “improved” as a result of the violence
30% of the incidents involved alcohol.
30% of teens intervened to help a friend after seeing a violent incident.

Common excuses for using violence:
jealousy
alcohol or other drugs
peer pressure
refusal of sexual advances
stress

Violence is often excused as being:
frustration
a misunderstanding
a sign of love or commitment
an act of anger
stress