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ABUSE MAGAZINE Photo Source: vitrinadeidei.wordpress.com TEEN DATING VIOLENCE IS NOT HAPPENING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. • More than 1 in 3 (37%) of students surveyed report having witnessed boys or girls being physically violent to persons they were dating. ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE ARE PERVASIVE. • Nearly 2 out of 3 students surveyed (63%) strongly agree with a harmful gender stereotype, such as “with boyfriends and girlfriends, the boy should be smarter than the girl.” • Nearly half of students surveyed (49%) report having been a victim of sexual harassment in the past 6 months, such as being “touched, grabbed, or pinched in a sexual way” or that someone ”made sexual jokes” about them. PARENTS HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN PREVENTING TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE. Tax & accounTing We are proudly preparing our youth for a Better Future! 215 South Kimball Avenue • Caldwell, ID 823 Specht Ave. Ste. D Caldwell, ID Photo Source: www.redbookmag.com 208-459-2788 We are proud to Insure a brighter drug free future for our youth! • Nearly three-quarters of 7th-grade students surveyed report that, in the last 6 months, they “sometimes or often” talk with their parents about dating topics such as, “how to tell if someone might like you as a boyfriend or girlfriend.” Prevention in middle school matters. There is a critical window of opportunity to teach young adolescents about healthy relationships and prevent teen dating violence. Middle school is also a key time for parents to educate themselves about these issues so they can help their children navigate new dating relationships (both online and offline), including what is healthy and what is not. Teen dating violence behaviors and associated risk factors are prevalent among middle school students in this study. At the same time, the study highlights protective factors that can be strengthened to reinforce positive norms and promote healthy relationships. While there is a growing body of knowledge on teen dating violence among older adolescents in high school, we need to better understand this younger age group and how best to promote healthy relationships and prevent teen dating violence in middle school. These early relationships can set the stage for the future. Studies have shown that being the victim of child abuse and/or adolescent dating violence is highly predictive of intimate partner violence among young adults. Photo Source: www.webmd.com CANYON Rather than repairing the damage later on, parents/caregivers, teachers and communities can help equip young people to develop healthy relationships throughout their life. Prevention needs to be a priority. IDAHO TRAFFIC CONTROL Proudly taking CONTROL over Abuse in our STATE! 208-455-3220 19032 Red Top Road Caldwell, ID CG aldwell lass “A Glass For Every Need” 208-459-6396 “Keeping Our Kids Seeing Clearly for an ABUSE FREE Future!” 919 Main Street • Caldwell, ID Source: http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/files/legacy-files/article-files/1/42529.start.strong.interim.eval.rpt0312.pdf abusemagazine.org | Idaho Spring/Summer 2014 | 21