This is the 10th year that Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month has been observed in February and this year’s theme, Action into Outrage, calls on parents and teens to be aware of the signs of dating abuse in order to help stop it.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, teen dating violence can include physical violence, sexual violence, psychological aggression and stalking. This can have effects on teens that include depression and anxiety, antisocial behaviors and contribute to unhealthy behaviors like using tobacco, drugs and alcohol.
Tinker Air Force Base’s Family Advocacy and Youth Center will host an educational event from 5:30-7 p.m. (Dinner starts at 5:30pm) on Feb. 19 at the Tinker Youth Center. The YWCA-OKC Director of Prevention Education, Rachele Eskridge will speak with parents and attendees about teen relationship abuse and the signs and red flags to watch for, how to open dialogue with teens on dating violence and what to do in the event that your child finds themselves in a dating situation that becomes unhealthy or unsafe.
Mary Phillips from Tinker Family Advocacy will also speak to the teens about relationship abuse at the event. Emily Nicholls, the Prevention Education Advocate for Norman’s Women’s Resource Center, will be speaking to youth ages 10-12 about boundaries and bodily autonomy.
The event is open to anyone with access to Tinker AFB. Register for this event by calling the Youth Center at 734-1234.
Pull out stats:
One in 11 females and one in 15 males have experienced physical dating violence in the last year.
Twenty-six percent of women and 15% of men experienced violence for the first time at the hands of an intimate partner before age 18.
Over 43 million women and 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.