Warning signs for dating violence
ALPENA, Mich.– February is the month of love, but it’s also Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
Jillian Ferguson, Services Director at Hope Shores Alliance, said dating violence doesn’t just mean physical abuse. She said violence can also mean mental and verbal abuse.
Ferguson told WBKB jealousy can be an early warning sign.
“Sometimes jealousy can feel exciting, like ‘oh, they must love me so much they’re jealous.’ But when that turns into something too far, like they’re checking your phone without your permission, or looking at your social media accounts, they’re trying to isolate you from your friends and family.
When it starts to become that they’re trying to establish power and control over you, it’s a pretty good sign there’s something to take a deeper look at.”
In other words, teens should be careful if they feel their partner treats them like a possession instead of a person.
Ferguson said social pressure can be a strong stifling force for teenage survivors.
“There’s a lot of social pressure [in high school] and that is a major dynamic in teen dating violence: That threat of exposing or shaming you in front of your peers.”
Ferguson said this is why people should believe survivors and listen non–judgmentally. She emphasized that parents or authority figures should avoid imposing decisions on the survivor. Rather, they should provide resources and support for whatever path the survivor takes.
