Magazine article on dating violence

” What you wouldn’t see, however, was the fear in Kaylee’s eyes when Jacob, whom she’d been with for a year at that point, read her texts and raged at her for talking to a male friend.

There were no photos showing her embarrassment when she bailed on her friends—again—because Jacob “sweetly” wanted her all to himself.

It was easier to stay and suffer in private than to try to leave and be humiliated in public.

I was stuck in a psychological trap and didn't know where to turn, nobody could help me. Nobody knew I had been punched so hard I was almost knocked out.

Twenty-one percent of high school girls have been physically or sexually assaulted by someone they dated -- a figure twice as high as previously estimated, a new study shows.

Ten percent of high school boys also report having been physically or sexually assaulted by a dating partner, about the same rate reported in earlier surveys, according to a study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

For example, they're more than twice as likely as others to consider suicide.

Teens often think some behaviors, like teasing and name-calling, are a “normal” part of a relationship.

Authors of the new report note that the CDC has changed the way it phrases its questions about teen dating violence, leading more students to report assaults.

Teens who have experienced dating violence are at much higher risk for a variety of serious problems.

The 2013 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey found approximately 10% of high school students reported physical victimization and 10% reported sexual victimization from a dating partner in the 12 months* before they were surveyed. Teens receive messages about how to behave in relationships from peers, adults in their lives, and the media. Risks of having unhealthy relationships increase for teens who: Dating violence can be prevented when teens, families, organizations, and communities work together to implement effective prevention strategies.

All too often these examples suggest that violence in a relationship is normal, but violence is never acceptable.