By Meagan Dorsch
Violence in relationships knows no age, race or gender. Physical aggression occurs in 1-in-3 teen dating relationships, according to the American Psychological Association.
State legislators have been working to bring attention to this issue not only in the public, but on the floors of statehouses across the country.
Their concerns are illustrated in statistics from the “Journal of the American Medical Association” that show one out of every five high-school age girls in the United States has been physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. And during the time of abuse, 40 percent of girls reported that another person or a group of people was present.
Congress has designated the month of February as “Teen Violence Awareness Month,” and Hollie Hendrickson at the National Conference of State Legislatures has been tracking policy and legislation regarding this issue in America’s statehouses.
Hollie sits down with us in this podcast to discuss what actions lawmakers are taking to address this issue, what policy has been put into place, and how young teens can benefit from addressing this issue.
Listen to this podcast (3:09), and visit NCSL’s website for additional information on teen dating violence initiatives.
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