This is Abuse: Relationship Abuse

Spot the signs of when your relationship is abusive:

• Abuse in a relationship can happen to anyone.
• It's never ok.
• It can destroy your self-confidence, have a negative impact on your
  health and wellbeing and leave you feeling isolated and lonely. 

What is relationship abuse?

Abuse is not normal and never ok. If you are in a relationship with someone, you should feel loved, safe, respected and free to be yourself. There are different forms of abuse, which you can find out about here, but if your relationship leaves you feeling scared, intimidated or controlled, it’s possible you’re in an abusive relationship. Find out more about the issue, have your say and seek help here.

Teen Dating: Love Is Not Abuse Campaign

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 14, 2011 – A new survey reveals dating violence and abuse to be surprisingly more prevalent among college students than previously believed. Nearly half of dating college women (43%) report having ever experienced violent or abusive dating behaviors, and more than one in five (22%) report actual physical abuse, sexual abuse or threats of physical violence. Despite the high number of students experiencing these types of abuse, more than one-third of college students (38%) say they would not know how to get help on campus if they found themselves in an abusive relationship.

The survey, “Liz Claiborne Inc.’s Love Is Not Abuse 2011 College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll,” was conducted by Knowledge Networks to address the lack of data on dating violence and abuse among college students and to increase the understanding of this problem on college campuses nationwide.

According to dating violence expert, Dr. Karen Singleton, Director of Sexual Violence Response, a program of Columbia University Health Services, “This survey expands on earlier reports and reinforces the complexity of the issue.” Among the findings are:

·         Nearly 1 in 3 (29%) college women report having been a victim of an abusive dating relationship in her life.

·         57% of students who report having been in an abusive dating relationship indicate it occurred in college.

·         52% of college women report knowing a friend who has experienced violent and abusive dating behaviors including physical, sexual, digital, verbal or controlling abuse.

·         Further, 58% of students said they would not know how to help if they knew someone was a victim.

“The findings of this survey prove that colleges and universities need to provide a more comprehensive response and additional creative educational programs to address dating violence and abuse,” said Jane Randel, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Liz Claiborne Inc.

The survey findings were released today, during a forum to educate students about sexual assault prevention and survivor assistance at American University.

The full report of survey results can be found at www.loveisnotabuse.com.

National Dating Abuse Helpline and Break the Cycle Respond to the Urgent Need for Education

In direct response to these new findings, www.loveisrespect.org, a partnership between the National Dating Abuse Helpline and leading teen dating violence prevention organization, Break the Cycle, is launching an initiative to target college students with new, relevant resources to address the issue of dating abuse. 

The expanded online content includes: Take Action (information on how students can get involved on their campus), Stay Safe (safety planning designed specifically for college students) and Help a Friend (information to assist bystanders). The survey shows that 57% of college students say it is difficult to identify dating abuse - substantive evidence of the need for increased education and awareness.

“It is our hope that with these targeted college resources, we can help increase knowledge about how students can combat the issue and ultimately, help prevent the prevalence of dating abuse and violence among students,” said President of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and National Dating Abuse Helpline, Katie-Ray Jones.

The resources are available, free online at www.loveisrespect.org.

In addition, Liz Claiborne Inc. has created a college dating violence curriculum called Love Is Not Abuse, designed to help students deal with dating violence and abuse on campus. The first college curriculum of its kind, Love Is Not Abuse educates students about the dangers and warning signs of dating violence, offers lessons specifically on abuse via technology and provides resources where college students can find help on campus.

The Love Is Not Abuse curriculum was created by a task force consisting of educators and domestic and sexual violence experts from Columbia University, George Mason University, the University of Kansas, Virginia Community College System, Northern Virginia Community College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) following the May 2010 murder of University of Virginia student Yeardley Love.

The Love Is Not Abuse college curriculum is available online, free at www.loveisnotabuse.com/web/guest/curriculum.

Recovering The Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing

Order today!

Recovering The Self is a quarterly journal which explores the themes of recovery and healing through the lenses of poetry, memoir, opinion, essays, fiction, humor, art, media reviews and psychoeducation. Contributors to RTS Journal come from around the globe to deliver unique perspectives you won't find anywhere else!

The theme of Volume III, Number 1 is "New Beginnings". Inside, we explore this and several other areas of concern including:

• Diet
• Health and Chronic Illness
• Fitness
• Parenting
• Disaster Recovery
• Child Abuse Survivors
• Relationships
• Substance Abuse Recovery
• Grieving
• Incarceration 
• Journaling
• and much more...

This issue's contributors include: Barbara Sinor, Chandru Bhojwani, David Roberts, Sam Vaknin, Niall McLaren, Allison Ballard, Claire Luna-Pinsker, Holli Kenley, Kat Fasano-Nicotera, Bronnie Ware, Jim Kelly, Andrew D. Gibson, Larry Hayes, George W. Doherty, Bonnie Spence, Sweta Srivastava Vikram, Michaela Sefler, RD Armstrong, Devon Tomasulo, Patricia Wellingham-Jones, Sue Sheff, Gail Straub Daniel Tomasulo, and Diane Wing.

Get sneak peek!

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Sue Scheff: The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating

By Annie Fox

FREE DOWNLOAD! FREE BOOK!

This book was first published as Can You Relate? in 2000. In 2005 it was re-released as The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating. It went out of print in 2008. That’s the way things go sometimes. Instead of letting all this truly great relationship information vanish forever, I decided to give it away for FREE. No strings attached. So here it is. Everything you need to know about getting along better with yourself and everyone else. This book is for you. It’s a gift. Yours to read wherever you want. Hopefully you’ll think about what you read. See how it applies to situations you’ve already been in. Remember the stuff that makes the most sense to you because you never know when you might need it. And if you’ve got friends who could use help sorting out their feelings, pass it on to them. That’s what friends are for.

Synopsis

Annie Fox, creator of The InSite, invites young people to share their questions and concerns about relationships. She personally answers every email she receives, and her straightforward, savvy advice helps teens create healthier relationships with everyone in their lives—including themselves.

This book brings Terra out of cyberspace and onto the printed page. Based on hundreds of emails Annie has received, it gives readers the scoop on what matters most to them: their feelings, looks, and decisions; boyfriends and girlfriends; sex and sexuality; how to make a relationship work (and what to do when it doesn’t); finding and keeping real friends; handling problems with parents and siblings; dealing with other authority figures (teachers, employers, coaches); and more.

Conflict Resolution Tool Kits provide step-by-step strategies for whatever relationship needs help. “Hey Terra!” letters let readers in on conversations between Annie and visitors to her site. Open-ended questions invite teens to think about Terra’s advice and what it means to them. The tone throughout is upbeat, positive, honest, and respectful—reasons why Annie Fox is the person kids turn to when they need someone to listen.

246 pages, illustrated, softcover, two-color, 7 1/4" x 9 1/4", teens, 13 and up, ISBN 1-57542-190-9. Press Release from Free Spirit Publishing.

Free Download - click here.

Sue Scheff - Valentine's Day Tomorrow - Teen Love on Relationships

By Kimberly Kirberger

Love is such a mystery - sometimes painful, other times glorious, always challenging. This book will guide you to understand and sort out your myriad feelings and experiences.

However you feel about love - love it, hate it, wish you knew, wish you didn't, or feel too scared and confused to even try to find out - this book will show you that your feelings are okay, and most important, that you are not alone. In it you'll find letters from other teens and Kimberly's responses to their questions, concerns and confusion and you'll get a wide-ranging perspective on love and relationships.

Type the book title in the Amazon Box and learn more!