Every February, for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we appreciate the opportunity to center the conversation specifically on young people, whose experiences are critical to understanding and preventing intimate partner violence. Nationwide, nearly 1 in 4 teenagers experience abuse at the hands of a dating partner, which has been found to result in an increased likelihood of experiencing risky behaviors, from self-harm to tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. Through two cornerstones of our work, training and education prevention, we help guide young people on how healthy relationships could look and feel, and how young people might more safely navigate them.

According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's (DOHMH’s) 2017 NYC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 15 percent of public high school students in New York City who reported dating someone in the past year, reported experiencing sexual dating violence. Ten percent reported being purposefully hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon by a dating partner. Yet despite these sobering statistics, parents and guardians can be unaware of the pervasiveness of teen dating violence, and how to address it with their loved ones. Not to mention that young people today also face the unique challenges of being at the vanguard of digital technology. Our NYC Healthy Relationship Training Academy (fondly known as “the Academy”) works with parents, and caregivers, and professionals working with youth, providing guidance on how to support the young people in their lives who may be experiencing unhealthy relationships. The Academy works to increase awareness and understanding of teen dating violence and technological abuse through tailored workshops, such as TechnoLOVE, reaching thousands of adolescents and young adults. It’s important to remember that digital harassment rarely occurs in isolation, and is often a red flag for other forms of relationship abuse.

February also being Black History Month, we recognize that intersecting identities situate black women and girls at a higher risk of victimization. Between 2010-2018, black females accounted for 30.9 percent of intimate partner homicides in New York City, despite accounting for only 13 percent of the population. (For this and other statistics, see ENDGBV’s 2019 Fatality Review Committee Annual Report.) Approaching our work through an intersectional lens is essential in our campaign to eradicate gender-based violence.

If you work directly with young people, consider requesting a workshop from the NYC Healthy Relationship Training Academy. The Academy offers free, peer-led, interactive workshops for youth ages 11-24, on topics such as consent, teen dating violence, and technology abuse. Our workshops act as a first line of defense for preventing dating violence by educating young people on what a healthy relationship could and should look like. The Academy also delivers workshops to parents and professionals about how to discuss relationships and spot warning signs of teen dating violence.