In Canada, teen dating violence is a significant public health issue. Because it interferes with young people’s right to a safe and healthy development, dating violence is also a matter of children’s rights.
The experience of physical, sexual, or psychological hostility in romantic or sexual relationships between the ages of 11 and 18 is known as adolescent dating violence. Understanding dating violence is crucial for parents, teachers, and other people who work with children.
We wanted to know precisely if there was a policy in Canada that dealt with dating violence as researchers who strive to prevent it. Our findings show that we are now failing to defend young people’s right to feel secure in their interpersonal connections.Dating violence is a topic that families talk about less frequently than other topics. For instance, discussing substance use in the family is a hot topic, but dating violence impacts more young people than alcohol and tobacco use. In Canada, one in four young people say they had consumed large amounts of alcohol recently. One in five people claim to have used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days.
We did a survey using a national sample of over 3,000 Canadian teens to break down statistics on dating violence. According to our research, 13% of those who were dating or out with someone in the past year experienced intentional bodily harm. Another 18% of people reported that a dating partner had injured, embarrassed, or watched them on social media.
Canadian teens frequently encounter sexual relationship violence, according to additional Québec-based studies. In this study, 7% of men and 20% of women reported engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior during their current or most recent dating relationship. A sizable number of young individuals are also affected by stalking by an intimate partner. Almost two out of every three stalking victims in Canada are female, and roughly half of them are between the ages of 15 and 34.Like many public health problems, dating violence disproportionately affects youth who are marginalized, including trans and non-binary youth, youth living in poverty and racialized youth.
In terms of outcomes, research conducted by our team found that youth who experience dating violence are significantly more likely to report mental health problems in the future. Dating violence is also a strong risk factor for domestic violence in adulthood. In the worst-case scenario, dating violence can lead to homicide.
