The term domestic violence can sometimes be misleading:
- Violence conjures up images of a black eye or other physical abuse. Domestic violence covers a range of abusive behaviors, many which do not include physical violence: emotional, psychological abuse, financial control, social isolation to name a few.
- For me, just the word ‘domestic’ conjures up images of home and family, married relationship. Domestic violence occurs in dating and unmarried couples, same sex couples, and adolescent and elder relationships. It can happen in the home, at school or work, or even via electronic media.
So 1 in four teens reports having experienced abusive behaviors in a dating relationship, but they’re probably not thinking of this as domestic violence… and that means they’re probably not getting the help they need to be safe. So here’s 2 videos created for DVRC by Skidmore students that show what relationship abuse looks like in a dating relationship.
Related posts:
Red Flags of Dating Violence