We are ending February, the month that has been decreed to raise awareness about abusive relationships and dating violence, a problem that has become visible in recent years, but has also neglected a vulnerable population, adolescents.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ?CDC, for its acronym in English? They pointed out that in 1 out of 3 dating relationships between adolescents, there are situations of violence and that at least 1 out of 12 adolescents have experienced physical or sexual violence in courtship.
And it is that, although much is said about abusive relationships, there is misinformation in adolescents, since this population group is one of the most influenced by the series and films of the industry, which romanticize this type of relationship under the argument of the assumption " true love that supports everything.
But not only the content that comes out of the big production houses influences adolescents to stay in abusive relationships, since the culture of their families also plays an important role because sometimes ?and because of the beliefs of their parents?, the Young people feel that they have no one to talk to about what they are experiencing with their partners.
According to the CDC, violence can take the form of physical, sexual, psychological, and even stalking and can occur in married couples, dating, dating, and sexual partners. In addition, it can lead to actions such as threats, use of force, drug administration, aggression, humiliation, control of sexual and reproductive health, among others, which can even end in fatal consequences ranging from emotional and psychological damage to the death of the victim.
Ana Campos, a 17-year-old woman, victim of an abusive relationship, commented at a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services in which experts met to discuss the problems of abusive relationships, that one of the reasons why young women do not recognize the warning signs of a violent relationship is misinformation, because in her words "they are not taught to us in home or in schools.
In this sense, Campos pointed out the need for schools to teach to recognize the warning signs of an abusive relationship, instead of hiding it due to taboos, so that young people can break this cycle of violence.
Campos said that her partner was very manipulative and that there were various warning signs, however, she stressed that social networks did not allow her to realize this, since many couples show a perfect relationship, which led her to romanticize the actions of her partner. couple.
"He was very manipulative, constantly checking my phone without my permission and getting angry over nonsense," she said.
Ana's sister was the one who noticed the alerts of an abusive relationship and with the help of psychological support, she has been able to leave that toxic relationship behind.
It is clear that not only adults and experts have been concerned about intimate partner violence, but also young people, since it is precisely they who seek to prevent their acquaintances from going through an abusive relationship, but also to raise awareness about the importance of the influence that The big production houses, social networks and culture have this problem.
In this sense, Armaan Sharma, a young student from a private school in Fremont, pointed out that social networks and the audiovisual content of large production houses are representing a problem for young people, since it is these platforms that romanticize abusive relationships.
"Netflix has movies like 365 days in which they literally romanticize rape," he denounced.
Likewise, Sharma stressed the importance of parents establishing a dialogue with young people in which an environment of trust is created that allows anyone who is in an abusive relationship to break this cycle of violence.
"If parents don't initiate conversations about relationships or create a safe space for discussion, will young people not have information about these issues? Problems with relationships or violence between young people will not be addressed, adolescents will to suffer and the cycles of violence will continue," he said.
In that sense, Kandee Lewis, president of the Center for Positive Results and founder of Black Women Leaders of Los Angeles, pointed out that young people need to know what a healthy relationship really is but also feel that their family is part of a safe space.
"Your child really wants to know that you care, because if you don't take the time to talk to your child, someone else will, and that other person could be the abuser," she warned.
Megan Tanahashi, director of communication for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, commented that prevention can help prevent young people from going through abusive relationships and noted the need to create spaces where they can speak up if they are victims of a situation of violence.
For her part, Isha Raheja, a member of the youth commission of the California Association to End Domestic Violence, stressed the importance of schools addressing these issues, since not doing so encourages taboos around this.
"It does not surprise me that violence in adolescent relationships can be considered taboo by some," he stressed.
Raheja said you have to have conversations with young people on a personal level so you can turn apathy into empathy and interest and create safe spaces for them.
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