Break the cycle believes everyone, regardless of age or sexual orientation, should have access to the same legal protections when it comes to dating violence.  These rights include seeking a protection order and accessing necessary health services.  We also believe that schools play a key role in educating young people about dating violence and providing help to teens in abusive relationships.

Each state treats teen victims of dating violence differently, but not all ways are equal.  Break the Cycle just released its annual State Law Report Cards for 2010! Using a detailed and comprehensive grading system, Break the Cycle awarded each state a grade based on minors’ accessibility to domestic violence restraining orders. Alabama made an "F" on this report card.  You can read the full report here:  http://www.thesafespace.org/wp-content/uploads/Alabama-Protection-Order-Report-Card-2010.pdf.

 

The Basics

• One in three teens experience some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships, including verbal and emotional abuse.
• 40% of teenage girls, ages 14 to 17, known someone their own age who has been hit or beaten by their partner.
• 80% of girls who have been physically abused keep dating their abuser.
• 1 in 4 teenage girls in relationships say they have been pressured to perform oral sex or have sex when they don't want to.

 

The Background

Dating abuse (also known as intimate partner abuse) is a pattern of controlling behaviors that one partner uses to get power over the other. It includes:

• Any kind of physical violence or threat of physical violence to get control
• Emotional or mental abuse, such as playing mind games, making you feel crazy, yelling at you, or constantly putting you down or criticizing you
• Sexual abuse, including making you do anything you don’t want to do, refusing to have safe sex or making you feel badly about yourself sexually

People know that dating violence has a negative effect on the victim and the longer the abuse continues the more negative the effects.

 

Physical Effects

At least 42% of women and 20% of men sustain minor injuries such as scratches, bruises and swelling. More severe injury may occur is the abuse is frequent and harsh. Some of the most common injuries are:

• Bruises, lesions and cuts
• Broken bones
• Gynecological injuries

 

Psychological Effects

Where there is physical abuse, there is also emotional abuse. All abuse has severe psychological consequences for the victim.

• Depression & anxiety
• Suicidal behavior
• Low self-esteem
• Sleep disturbances
• Inability to concentrate

 

Social Effects

The negative social effects can be the very thing that makes the victim unable to escape the violence.

• Controlled access to services meant to help the victim – often the abuser monitors the victim’s calls and/or internet use so the victim doesn’t contact an organization out of fear that she'll get caught and punished as a result.
• Isolation from family, friends and other supportive individuals.
• Changes in behavior at school - not speaking up as much, personality changes, or slipping grades.

 

What are Alabma schools doing about dating violence?  Alabama law does not include any information about dating violence in schools.

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How can Alabama improve its response to teen dating violence?

•Allow teens in dating relationships 

to file for protection orders.

 

•Allow all minors to file for protection 

orders without parental involvement.

 

•Allow courts to issue protection 

orders against minor abusers.

 

Minors have rights!  Implement programs in our schools to raise awareness of this important issue. Change our laws and give our Teens the right to do something about their abusers.  Don't let our Teens continue to be part of these dreadful statistics. Don't let our state continue to be graded an "F" on this Report for another year.