Teen Dating Violence

 

30% of teens report that they or someone they know has experienced dating violence. 

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Teenagers raised up in a Christian home or not are influenced by today's pop culture of music lyrics, my-space, fashion, cinema, etc., which promotes the view that girls are the objects for boys. Recently, I was able to

interview a girl who is currently dating a boy who abuses her.

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Hey, how old are you?

I’ll be 16 in November!

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Do you live at home?

Nope, my dad left when I was 12, and my mom was really down and started drinking and taking

pills. It was just too much for me, so I took off when I was 14.

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Where did you go? 

The first night, I crashed in a tunnel at a park. Honestly, I was scared and cold, but it felt better than

being at home. Now, I’m staying with my boyfriend and his family, and it feels nice to have that

support again.

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What is it like living with your boyfriend at fifteen?

It’s pretty great! We get to celebrate holidays and birthdays together, which is really special.

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Tell me about having a relationship at fifteen.

It’s cool. I can always count on him. He really loves me.

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How does he show it?

He spends tons of time with me, and he’s super protective. I love him, and I know he loves

me back.

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Can you talk about the first time he hurt you?

Yeah, that was rough. I think it had to do with his drinking. He’d never acted like that before. He thought I was

flirting with someone, but I wasn’t at all.

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What happened?
It was pretty bad. I don't know exactly how I ended up on the ground, but there I was face down on the cement,

and he was on top of me, pounding my head into the ground. I remember crying out for him to stop, but he

wouldn't. I tried to raise my head up to look for someone to help—we were at a party, but all I could see

were feet—they were afraid of him too. I remember feeling warm liquid on my hands, and I opened my eyes to

see what it was, and it was a puddle of my blood, and he still wouldn't stop. Finally, I remember waking up but

not seeing anything. My face was swollen beyond recognition. He kept me in his bedroom for days because

he said that if anyone had seen me, he would go to jail, and I knew that too. He wouldn't even take

me to the hospital.

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Why are you still with him?

He’s really sorry about what happened. He says it was the drinking, and he loves me. He promises it won’t

happen again.

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Has it?
...

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We cannot deny the prevalence of our daughters being abused, and it's our sons who are the batterers. Fatherless boys are being raised by pop culture. This is a call to our churches, pastors, and parents to educate themselves and to talk to their teens about this issue. For more information, go to www.ncadv.org.