Community holds conference on teen dating violence

By Staff Writer

This week, a psychotherapist from Arizona will be the keynote speaker at a conference for domestic violence. The topic of the event is teen dating violence, TriValleyCentral.com reports.

Nearly one in three teenagers who have been in relationships have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse or threats of physical harm, according to the Love is Not Abuse website. As stated on the site, two in five teens in relationships know friends who have been verbally abused – called names, put down or insulted – via cell phone or on social networking sites.

The therapist said all abuse is about power and control, and cell phones have become a way for teenagers to exert abusive control over one another in a dating relationship, the news source reports. She added that a little jealousy is natural for young people in a relationship, but this type of behavior is out-of-control jealousy. Often, the victim in the relationship is not allowed to even look at another boy or girl.

According to a survey conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, a total of 7.5 percent of students reported being harassed online in 2009.