February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month: Let’s Talk About It

Let’s Talk About It is a Call to Action for schools and communities to share resources about dating violence with the students and young people in their lives. When we make resources about healthy relationships and dating violence accessible, we create protective environments that normalize having conversations about relationships and seeking support. We are calling on you to share our teen dating violence resources in your schools and communities to get the conversation started!

What is Teen Dating Violence?

Teen Dating Violence is a pattern of behavior used by one person to gain power and control over their dating partner. It can include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological, digital, and/or economic abuse.

New Jersey defines teen dating violence as “a pattern of behavior where one person uses or threatens to use physical, sexual, verbal or emotional abuse to control a dating partner” (C.18A:37-34).

In 2011, New Jersey passed a law that requires school districts and charter schools to have a policy that outlines how the school plans to prevent, respond to, and educate students and the school community on teen dating violence. This includes having dating violence education incorporated into health education curriculum.