As we know, February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. In fact, this year is the 10th anniversary of TDVAM. Despite the fact that TDVAM has been observed for a decade, it doesn’t necessarily receive the same amount of attention as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month or Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Of course, this makes a lot of people question TDVAM. What is it? How did it get started? Who observes it? And (most importantly) - how can we get involved?
What It Is
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is the time of the year professionals and the general public bring about more information and awareness to Teen Dating Violence. As we’ve already mentioned, a large majority of teens will report different types of dating violence before turning 18, regardless of their sex and/or gender. Because of this, we need to bring awareness to the effects of dating violence on teens - both during abuse and later in life - as well as awareness on resources available to teens and their parents. Enter Teen DV Awareness Month.
How It Started
Teen DV Awareness Month actually didn’t start as an awareness month. In the late 1980s, the nation started to address domestic violence more proactively. This included the establishment of Dating Violence Awareness month, which typically honors victims who were killed by their abusers and those who have survived. However, as time progressed, many domestic violence advocates recognized that survivors of teen dating violence typically had different experiences than adult survivors of DV. Some of those differences include:
Relationships: Teen relationships are typically different than adult ones. Most teens do not live with their abuser; in fact, many still live with their parents.
Consistent Contact: Most teens date people they go to school with and have classes with. Because of this, escaping a toxic and abusive teen relationship requires a different approach than adult abusive relationships. Teens can’t just switch their classes or move schools - they are in consistent contact with their abusers, especially if they sit near each other in class, ride the bus together or participate in the same sports teams. In adult relationships, the abused partner can typically seek separate living arrangements through a DV shelter.
Brain Development: Neurologically speaking, teens do not have the same cognitive abilities as adults. Even the most intelligent of teens are still developing their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that dictates logic and reasoning. Teens cannot necessarily recognize the signs of Teen DV, or understand that they might be committing Teen DV.
Because of these differences in teen dating violence versus adult domestic violence, advocates created Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Week in February of 2006, but four years later in 2010, Congress enacted the first Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. It’s been in February every month since.
Who Participates
There are no restrictions on who participates in Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. In fact, organizations who promote the month encourage everyone to participate. Everyone fits into at least one category: has a teen, knows a teen, knows someone with a teen, or was a teen at some point. Schools, individual classes, coworkers, and others can get involved, too.
What You Can Do
Participating in TDVAM might appear daunting at first, but there are tons of things you can do to promote awareness for Teen Dating Violence.
Bring Speakers To Talk With Your Organization/Class: Reach out to different organizations that promote awareness for teen dating violence. This includes your local domestic violence shelter and national organizations such as Love Is Respect. They can discuss signs and effects of Teen DV and steps to take if you witness it or are experiencing it.
Talk With Your Kids: As a parent, this is one of the most important things you can do during Teen DV Month. Focus on aspects of healthy relationships, consent and how social media can impact a relationship. Many organizations provide written tools and information you can use to talk with your kid(s).
Chalk About Love: During February 24 - 28, create chalk art to show your support for Teen DV Awareness. Don’t forget to use the color orange, the designated color for Teen DV Awareness. Create images that represent healthy relationships, include statistics on the topic and actually mean something to you. Share it on social media - you never know, a national organization might ask to share your work, too!
Practice Healthy Relationships: Take what you know about Teen DV and put it into action. Don’t just practice healthy relationships with romantic partners - practice it with your friends and family, too. The best way to eliminate toxic behavior is to be cognizant of it in every facet of your life. By putting healthy relationship practices into action, you show your dedication to the topic.
These are just a few things you can do - many organizations have a variety of programs they run throughout the year to promote Teen DV Awareness. Get your friends and family involved! Together, we can work to bring awareness to Teen DV and eventually minimize its existence.