The National Coalition against Domestic Violence (NCADV), defines domestic violence as “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” (NCADV.org). There are different types of domestic violence. One type is called dating violence which we will take a look at among young adults. Dating Violence
Dating violence is a huge problem in the United States. Millions of young adults experience some type of abuse during the course of a year. Among females, the violence can begin as young as 12 years old. According to the website Love is Respect; young women between the ages of 16 and 24 …show more content…
Physical abuse can include being punched, slapped and hair being pulled. Sexual abuse includes being touched without consent or forcing the person to have sex. Verbal and emotional abuse can include being called names, degraded and threatening you or your family. Controlling abuse can be not allowing you to see your family or friends and what you can and can’t do.
Long term effects associated with dating violence range from one spectrum to another. Youths who have experienced dating violence are more likely to have issues in the future. Some of those issues include depression, substance abuse, school dropout, suicide and body image problems (Helm, et al., 2017)
Educational Programs
There needs to be more educational programs starting in the public school systems as well as in the private and charter school system as well. It needs to start in middle school and throughout high school. Topics should include the signs of dating violence and the types of methods to reduce those risks. Educational programs should have guest speakers who have gone through the experience of dating