Dating Violence/Teen Dating Violence

Dating violence includes psychological and emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. It occurs with casual dating or serious long term relationships.

Signs of Abuse in Your Dating Relationship:

Your boyfriend or girlfriend pressures you into a serious relationship or to have sex soon after you begin dating.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend becomes extremely jealous and possessive and displays those feelings with destructive displays of emotion or violence.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend tries to control you by being bossy, giving orders, making all the decisions, and refusing to take your views seriously.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend puts you down in front of friends and is often critical and condescending.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend yells at you, swears at you, is manipulative, spreads rumors about you or tries to make you feel guilty.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend threatens you or makes you worried about his or her reactions to things you say or do.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend abuses alcohol or other drugs and pressures you to use them.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend has abused others and brags about it.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend grabs, pushes, shoves or hits you.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend makes your family and friends uneasy and concerned for your safety.
Your boyfriend or girlfriend has a history of failed relationships and blames the other person for those problems.

What You Can Do:

If you are in a dating relationship that makes you feel uncomfortable, awkward, tense or frightened, trust your feelings and get out of it.
If you are in a violent relationship, or a potentially violent relationship, get help. Talk to someone you trust. You may also want to contact the police or a domestic violence center. Call 2-1-1 for contact information for domestic violence hotlines, sexual assault hotlines, counseling resources, or youth talk lines.
If you suspect that someone is in an abusive relationship, encourage that person to get help, be supportive, and talk to a third party you trust, but do not try to handle the situation on your own.
If you suspect that someone you know is being abusive, and you feel sure you are not in danger, talk to the person about his or her use of violence and encourage the person to seek help. Call 2-1-1 for referrals to programs that will help that person learn how to stop being abusive.
If you are hurting your boyfriend or girlfriend, get help. Call 2-1-1 for intervention programs or other counseling resources or youth talk lines.

Internet Resources:

PREVENTING TEEN DATING VIOLENCE:

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html

http://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/

http://www.loveisrespect.org/

TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT’S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:
Search by service names:
Dating Violence Prevention
Domestic Violence Hotlines
Spouse/Domestic Partner Abuse Counseling
Domestic Violence Intervention Programs
Temporary Restraining Orders
Sexual Assault Hotlines
Sexual Assault Counseling
Adolescent/Youth Counseling
Youth Issues Lines

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PREPARED BY: 211/jm
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: June2022