We all know that being a teen these days is amazing and crazy, fast-paced and at times overwhelming. American teens have opportunities to travel the world, access every kind of information available, and do whatever they want with their lives. But all of this doesn’t eliminate the fact that teens are still at risk to experience much harm. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and it reminds us of the importance of having conversations about dating abuse with our teens. JF&CS Journey to Safety’s TeenSafe program exists because:
- Approximately one in three adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner.
- Nationwide, nearly one in ten high-school students (9.8 percent) has been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Source: Futures Without Violence
These are alarming numbers and they show us that dating abuse happens in all our communities, impacting teens from different backgrounds, cultures, races, and religions. Journey to Safety hears from Jewish teens and their families and their stories confirm that being Jewish is not protection from this social ill.
This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here. MORE