Teen Dating Violence

Teen Dating Violence

Teen dating violence is defined as the physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional violence within a dating relationship. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of teen dating violence is often misunderstood. According to a 2009 nationwide survey, the CDC reports that 9.8% of high school students report that they have been deliberately physically hurt by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the preceding 12 months. Also, 1 in 5 women, and around 1 in 7 men, who have been a victim of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, typically experience a form of dating violence between the ages of 11 and 17.

For example, Jennifer Ann Crecente (September 9, 1987 – February 15, 2006), a victim of teen dating violence, was an 18-year-old high school honor student who was shot and killed in southwest Austin, Texas by an ex-boyfriend, Justin Crabbe on February 15, 2006. She was a camp counselor at SciTrek in Atlanta and hospital volunteer in Austin. Jennifer Ann's Group, a public charity based in Atlanta, Georgia, was established in her name to educate young people about the prevalence of teen dating violence, how to identify these relationships and how to extricate themselves safely from such relationships.