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Anyone can be a victim of dating
violence. Teens who are wealthy or not, religious or not, straight or not.
It makes no difference what race or ethnic background a person is. Anyone
can be a victim. Anyone can be an abuser. Be safe.
Be a survivor, not a victim. Understand the three types of abuse.
Control. Abuse is about control, not love. Learn the
difference. Be safe. Dating violence is a consistent
pattern of verbal (or emotional abuse, physical abuse, or sexual abuse.
Emotional abuse can be more serious than physical
abuse. Does your partner call you names? Humiliate you? Isolate you from
your friends? Make all the decisions? Threaten you? make you afraid?
Family and friends can help you. Don't keep any
abuse secret. The more people who know, the safer you are.
Get help. Call a domestic violence program. You are not alone.
Help your friends who may be victims. They need you
as a friend now more than ever. Intervention and
prevention begin with you. Do not accept any abuse from anyone or to
anyone. Judges know the problems of dating violence.
If you have to get an order of protection to be safe --- do it.
Kicking, hitting, and punching are types of physical
abuse. Once is too many. Love should be special. It
is never controlling. It is never about one person telling the other
person what to think, do, or how to act. Murder is
the ultimate horror of dating violence. It is the cause of 24% of teen
homicides. No one likes being hit. Victims are
afraid to leave abusers because they are afraid of being hit harder.
Leave. Be a survivor. Orders of protection tell the
abusers what they can and cannot do. Call the Clerk's Office for more
information. Physical abuse doesn't always leave
bruises, but it always leaves scars. Qualified
counselors are available to help teen dating violence victims 24 hours a
day. Call now for support. Read and remember
everything you can about dating violence. It could be a real lifesaver.
Sexual abuse can be anything from ruining your
reputation, to touching, you improperly, to rape. Tell.
The abuser wants you to think that no one will believe you. The abuser
wants you to think that no one else cares about you. The abuser is wrong.
People believe. People care. Abuse should not be a secret. Tell.
Understand that you are not alone: friends, family,
teachers, the police, judges, are all there to help. Victory
is in becoming a survivor. You do not have to be a victim. Only you can
begin to make that change. Winning the battle
against teen dating violence is everyone's job. Listen to your friends.
Share this website with anyone who may need it. You can make a difference.
X-rays don't show all the hurt. Teen dating violence
hurts everyone. Help stop the hurt. Yearly, about
40% of all teens are dating violence victims. Don't be a statistic.
Zero tolerance is the only acceptable level of teen
dating violence.
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