February is National Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month and Turning Point says they are working hard to educate teens about the danger. According to the website BreakTheCycle.org, one in three teens and young adults experience some form of dating abuse (this statistic also holds true with adult relationships).
This means that one in three teens is being questioned of their whereabouts often by their partner. This means that one in three teens is being called despicable names by someone who claims to care about them. This means that one in three teens is covering up bruises- physical, emotional, or sexual- from their friends, teachers, parents, or caregivers.
Paula Roller, Turning Point Executive Director, submitted the following media release.
Teens are trying to navigate the murky waters of school, friends, jobs and other extra-curricular activities daily. They are forming their own identities and testing out “real world” scenarios. Being a teenager has never been marked as an easy time. We all have horror stories to tell about our awkward moments or that of our children. But safety in personal relationships is something that we must all hold sacred.
In this age of “selfies” and “tweets”, teens are more exposed to the alleged “real world” more than ever. They have access to more information, people, and news now more than ever. This can be a double-edged sword. All of that information and exposure is wonderful when doing a research project but can be dangerous in relation to people.
Chat rooms can become lurking grounds for child predators and harmless SnapChat pictures to a boyfriend can be social suicide when shared with the entire school. Your Facebook wall can be the best place to verbally abuse someone and stalking someone is simple now by viewing their “check ins” online or looking at their pictures on Instragram. These sites can be fun, harmless ways to pass the time or they can set someone up for harm.
Parent involvement certainly helps guard against vulnerability to such issues but it’s not a panacea. Domestic violence is a learned behavior, meaning that the way we treat others is learned at home-regardless of income, race, religion, and social status. If Dad beats Mom because dinner was not a gourmet meal, then Junior learns that when his girlfriend doesn’t do what pleases him, you call her names and hit her. If Mama is constantly looking for her worth in dating relationships, then Jane learns that her own personal value is nothing without a man.
Turning Point recognizes the need for education early in our children’s lives. We have staff speaking in area schools and talking about healthy teen relationships, social media, and what to do if someone you know is involved in an abusive relationship. Turning Point also has staff interacting with the teens at the shelter to give them tools to deal with any issues that come from domestic violence.
Turning Point is the local domestic violence program that serves Crawford, Delaware, Marion, Morrow, Union, and Wyandot counties in north central Ohio. We offer shelter, food, clothing, transportation, community education, victims’ rights advocacy and a 24 hour crisis line.
Turning Point is located at 330 Barks Road West in Marion and can be contacted at (740) 382-8988 or 1-800-232-6505. Turning Point is also online at turningpoint6.org and also on Facebook and Twitter.
Turning Point is a United Way agency and is also funded by the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.
About Marion Online News
