Teens Talk About Abuse

"I received a call from a 17 year old that said her boyfriend had attempted to kick in the door to her home the night before. She was living with her grandfather who was not capable of providing her with the support that she needed. I asked her if she had called the police, she said that she had and that they had given her a report number but that they had not told her anything except to call the police if he came around again. I helped her make a safety plan for her and her grandfather. We then talked about a protective order and what it meant and what it could do for her."

-Joseph, age 18

 

"A mom contacted us through our chat on the website. She felt hopeless with her and her daughter's situation. The daughter was starting to isolate herself from her family and friends to spend more time with her boyfriend. The mother was suspicious of him controlling her via text messages and she was afraid that he may have been starting to become physically abusive with her as well. Through the chat we talked about some safety planning and how to talk to her daughter about her concerns. I discussed how important support was and not to pass judgment on her daughter's decisions. I also looked into finding some local programs for her and her daughter."

-Anna, age 17

 

"I talked to a girl that had just found out her boyfriend had been cheating on her the entire two years they'd been dating. He lied to her about his sexual experience and manipulated her into having sex with him. She wanted to know if she should break up with him. I told her I couldn't make that decision for her. But we talked about the different ways someone can abuse you. She decided that he had been abusive emotionally and sexually and she said she was going to think about breaking up with him."

-Kati, age 16

 

"As a peer advocate at loveisrespect, the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, I've talked to a lot of teens who tell me they don't feel comfortable talking to their parents or even sometimes their own friends. Sometimes their friends are frustrated and want them to just break up with their boyfriend or girlfriend. I think it can be easier to talk to one of us, at least at first, because we have information about dating abuse and we aren't going to judge them or try to tell them what to do."

-Cassie, age 19