The Chicago Tribune
An increased awareness of violence among dating teens has launched a spate of initiatives and interventions similar to those that, until recently, were geared exclusively toward adult perpetrators and victims. Experts believe efforts to prevent abuse and help victims must be tailored by age group and must educate parents, who are often clueless about what’s going on. Nine percent of high school students, in almost equal percentages of boys and girls, say they have been “hit, slapped or physically hurt” by their dates, according to a 2005 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abuse can also be manifested as controlling behavior, such as text-messaging someone repeatedly during the day to keep track of his or her whereabouts. Jan. 8, http://www.chicagotribune.com.
