Abuse In Teenage Relationships Rising
Abuse In Teenage Relationships Rising Reported by: Naveen Dhaliwal Email: ndhaliwal@wetmtv.com Last Update: 7:04 pm ELMIRA - If you have a teenage daughter you may want to listen up. A recent survey shows teenage relationships are getting more and more abusive, both physically and emotionally. The survey by a group called Teenage Research Unlimited shows that more than half of teenage girls have experienced an abusive relationship. That doesn't surprise some Elmira students. “They think they can't do any better and I think they should get out of it as soon as they touch you,’ says Kayla Fish from Elmira. “They think they're in love with them, they think if they stay with them, they can change them, but that's not the case. There are guys out there who think they can control you,” says Alicia Savey from Elmira. “That’s right, boys do beat up girls and I think it's wrong,” says Brannon Parlo from Elmira. The survey shows in teenagers 1 out of 3 reports that their partner wants to know their whereabouts and who they were with 37% of the time. Twenty nine percent say their boyfriends or girlfriends call them names and put them down. One out of 5 13 and 14 year olds say they know a peer who has been stuck, kicked, hit, or slapped, in anger in a relationship. A local social worker tells us one reason for the increasing abuse may be that teenagers are behaving more like adults. Teens are becoming sexually active earlier in life. They don't know how to get out of the situation. He also says teenage girls may tolerate the abuse to escape bigger problems at home. When we asked teenagers what their school teaches them on how to deal with a bad relationship, this is what they had to say. “To get out of it as soon as possible and to go to the police,” says Fish. "The principle tells us not to do it. It's wrong,” says Parlo. If you are involved in an abusive relationship or have a friend in one, local experts ask you to call the Domestic Abuse Hotline at 732 1979. (Elmira NY) http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b2f5674b-cb0d-4584-92d8-a23592d34564