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Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
February is
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
(TDVAM),
a national effort to raise awareness about and prevent abuse in teen and 20-something relationships.
Teen dating violence (TDV) is defined as physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional violence within a dating relationship, including stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and happens on college and university campuses. According to 2015 data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey,
nearly half
of women and over 40% of men who have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by a partner were between 18 and 24 years old when it happened the first time. Although the dynamics of TDV are similar to adult domestic violence, the forms and experience of TDV, as well as the challenges in seeking and providing services, make the problem of TDV unique.
There are several resources colleges and universities can use to help prevent TDV and raise awareness, including knowing
the red flags
. Multiple organizations offer training, outreach materials, policy support, and statistics that provide a variety of ways to take action:
- Evaluating campus policies using the Dating Matters®Interactive Guide on Informing Policy from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Dating Matters Capacity Assessment and Planning Tool helps schools, local health departments, and community partners implement comprehensive TDV initiatives.
- Participating in free online training for faculty, staff, and other professionals interested in preventing TDV. Colleges and universities can also study the best-practices model for educators, developed by TeenDVMonth.org, which offers resources for youth, adults, and communities interested in learning about TDV.
- Participating in activities that encourage campus-wide discussions about dating violence. Break the Cycle focuses on helping people age 12 to 24 build healthy relationships and has several activities planned during the month.
- Joining social media conversations, including Break the Cycle's National Online Rally using the #TeenDVMonth hashtag and shareable graphics and PDFs. Other hashtags include #TDVAM, #TeenDVAM, #orange4love for Wear Orange Day (February 12), #loveisrespect, and #loveisrespectofficial.
- Downloading or requesting brochures and other outreach materials from the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or from Break the Cycle.
- Helping victims learn how to get restraining orders, file police reports, or sue abusers for medical bills, rehabilitation, emotional distress, or pain and suffering.
- Publicizing the National Domestic Violence Hotline phone number (800-799-SAFE) and URL (thehotline.org). Chat in English or Spanish is also available. Colleges and universities can link to the "Are you in a healthy relationship" quiz from Loveisrespect.org, which operates a free and confidential phone, chat, and texting hotline (866-331-9474, or text LOVEIS to 22522).
- Browsing VAWnet.org, a part of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, which offers violence-prevention information for or about young people, bystanders, parents and caregivers, men and boys, teachers and school-based professionals, healthcare professionals, pregnancy prevention programs, and domestic violence and sexual violence service providers.
For more information on this topic, visit our online library and use the search tags "dating violence" or "stalking."
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In the fall of 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added a new web-based resource,
Violence Prevention in Practice
, to help guide state and local health agencies and other key stakeholders in planning, implementing, and evaluating violence prevention efforts. The website is a welcome addition to the important and effective
technical packages
released by the CDC that have helped broaden the conversation and advance sexual and intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention.
The Violence Prevention in Practice website is focused on helping stakeholders, including campus administrators, prevention specialists, advocates, counselors and others, take action to select and implement strategies presented in the various CDC's technical packages on IPV, preventing suicide, youth and sexual violence, and child abuse and neglect. The website, designed to function as an implementation guide, is non-linear to allow agencies and stakeholders to dive in at any point depending on where they may already be in the process. The guide consists of the following sections:
- Planning: assessing needs, resources, and capacity, and creating a comprehensive plan
- Partnerships: identifying and engaging stakeholders
- Policy Efforts: potential roles for public health in the policy process
- Strategies and Approaches: choosing strategies and approaches that are likely to prevent violence
- Adaptation: changing approaches to fit needs while still producing intended outcomes
- Implementation: putting your plan into action
- Evaluation: tracking and measuring outcomes
Each section also provides downloadable tools such as checklists and worksheets; tip sheets that elaborate on specific implementation topics mentioned; stories that illustrate how concepts can be applied and how others have successfully achieved this work; resources of relevant readings or other tools that may be helpful; and notations about health equity and how those communities that experience more violence due to inequities may need to focus on social and economic conditions that underlie the violence.
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Professional Development Opportunities
Title: Serving Victims of Teen Dating Violence
Organization: Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center
Date: February 20, 2019 at 2:00 PM ET
Location: Online
Fee: Free
Title: 2019 College Mental Health Research Symposium
Organization: Healthy Minds Network
Dates: March 12-13, 2019
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Fee: Free
Title: Introduction to the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview
Organization: Certified FETI
Dates: March 25-26, 2019
Location: Lenexa, KS
Fee: Registration fee
For additional trainings and events, access our searchable
online calendar.
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Virtual Professional Development
Through our Virtual Professional Development initiative, you can access free, online educational opportunities.
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Campus Public Safety Online
Learn about our free webinar series, register for upcoming webinars, and view archived recordings on demand.
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Emerging Issues Forum Reports
Download, print, and share findings from critical issues forums of campus public safety leaders, subject matter experts, and practitioners.
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