February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and the Center for Prevention of Abuse shares that:

• Nearly 1 in 11 female and approximately 1 in 14 male high school students report having experienced physical dating violence in the last year.
• About 1 in 8 female and 1 in 26 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year.
• 26% of women and 15% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 18.

If your Teen is experiencing abuse, please reach out for help. www.loveisrespect.org is a great resource with a live chat or texting option. You can also call the Teen Dating Violence Hotline 1-866-331-9474, where trained advocates are waiting to assist you.

The Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter is also here to answer questions or concerns you may have. You can reach us at 605-692-7233 (SAFE) or Domestic@brookingsshelter.com.