Parents, others urged to discuss dating violence with teens

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - February is National Teen Dating Violence & Prevention Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity to start talking to teens about relationships.

Experts say this is an all too common issue that affects millions of teenagers every year. According to the website loveisrespect.org, one in three teenagers in the United States will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re dating before they become adults. That includes both boys and girls.

The report also says 43% of college women report experiencing violent or abusive dating behaviors. But, 81% of surveyed parents either believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue or not.

One Place Family Justice Center, the Family Sunshine Center, and the Alabama Coalition Against Rape teamed up. They launched a series of webinars to help us understand and start a conversation with our teenagers. It’s called “Dating, Dialogue & Decisions.”

The first two webinars will be available on the One Place Family Justice Center’s Facebook page. The final webinar is set for February 28th on the Alabama Coalition Against Rape’s Facebook Page.

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