Know the Facts
How many teens experience dating violence?
About one in three high school students have been or will be involved in an abusive relationship.
Forty percent of teenage girls ages 14 to 17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
Twenty-two percent of high school students report nonsexual dating violence.
More than 70 percent of pregnant teens or female teen parents are beaten by their boyfriends.¹
What types of violence do teens experience?
Sixteen percent of Ohio high school females report having been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to.²
Nationally, 9.2 percent of high school students report having been hit, slapped or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend.³
Getting Help
Less than 3% of teens go to adults like their parents, school counselors, police or social workers to get help when they are in a violent relationship.
Once the abuse starts, less than half of victims end the relationship.
¹ Dancy, Denise O. “Dating Violence in Adolescence.” Family Violence Forum, Vol. 2, No. 4. National Center for State Courts, Winter 2003.
² 2005 Ohio Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
³ Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2005.
