DATING AND TEEN VIOLENCE

Dating and Teen Violence

Dating and Teen Violence

There are many different kinds of abuse, but the main four are: physical, emotional, sexual and verbal. Verbal abuse and emotional abuse are is a type of abuse that makes someone feels powerless, insecure, and can destroy their self-esteem. The abuser can do this by making hurtful comments such as: "I don't know why I'm still with you." "Your ugly and to fat/to skinny." "Nobody wants you." "You're stupid." Another example of verbal/emotional abuse is when a boyfriend gives his girlfriend a pager or cell phone and tells them it's a gift. Some boyfriends however use it as a way to stay in constant contact with their girlfriends. This allows him to check up on her anytime he wants (Levy and Giggans, 1995).

Sexual abuse is any form of sexual contact that is hurtful and forceful. This can include: unwanted touching and kissing, using persuasion to force the victim to engage in any kind of sexual activity, using insults to get the person to sleep with him and sexual slurs or attacks on the victims gender . When a girl feels fear or shame because of what someone is trying to make her do with her body, she is being sexually abused. Date rape is the most severe form of sexual abuse. More than one third of college freshman girls have been date-raped at least once (Wilson, 1997).

Physical abuse is usually the last phase in an abusive dating relationship. This includes biting, hitting, slapping, pushing, beating, using restraints, and play wrestling. Hitting, biting, and slapping are types of abuse that you can look at and identify. You would notice bite marks, scrapes, and bruises. Girls tend to wear turtlenecks, or long sleeved shirts or pants to hide these marks from friends and family. ...