Dating violence is violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: the length of the relationship; the type of relationship; and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. February is Dating Violence Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to bringing greater awareness to dating violence, including teen dating violence; however, we encourage you to promote awareness all year round. This page has resources and tools, ideas to promote awareness in your community, and OVW-funded events and webinars on dating and teen dating violence.
Tools/Resources
Promote Awareness
All year round, you can share information about dating violence. Below you will find ideas and tips to promote awareness in your community. We also encourage you to share with us how you promote awareness by clicking the "share your ideas" button.
Announcing DocuSAFE Documentation and Evidence Collection App
NNEDV's new app, DocuSAFE, is live and available for download in the app stores!
DocuSAFE, a Documentation and Evidence Collection App, is a free app that helps survivors collect, store, and share evidence of abuse, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, online harassment, and dating violence. Survivors can document abuse by logging individual incidents, including any photos, screenshots, or video documentation of threatening messages, harassing social media posts, unwanted repeat calls, or online impersonation, among other abusive behaviors.
Storing documentation of abuse in one central location helps survivors identify the abuse and the extent to which it is occurring, including possible escalation of the behaviors. While not all survivors may choose to pursue legal action against the abusive person, for those who do, this app may be used to document and store evidence of the abuse that can be shared with law enforcement, an attorney, or a judge during a legal proceeding. The app provides options for securely sharing the content if the survivor chooses. DocuSAFE also includes information and resources to help better understand tactics of abuse, safety planning, and evidence / documentation collection.
If someone suspects that their device is being monitored, either physically or remotely, they should not download this app. There are additional resources on the DocuSAFE webpage, such as the Survivor Guide to Using DocuSAFE, to help survivors assess safety risks prior to download. There are also considerations for those working with survivors as a companion piece that can help advocates, attorneys, and others talk to survivors about safety planning and documentation.
The Safety Net Team at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) created this app with funding from the Office on Victims of Crime (OVC). We are grateful for the partnership with OVC and our app developer, 3Advance, that allowed us to create such a meaningful and important resource for survivors. This has been three years in the making with a significant focus on ensuring the app was built with survivor-centered approaches, prioritizing safety and privacy.
Please visit the DocuSAFE webpage to learn more and to download the app!
Free Webinar: Stalking in Relation to Teen Dating Violence
DATE UPDATE: March 18, 2020 11:00am PT/ 12:00pm MT/ 1:00pm CT/ 2:00pm ET
In this webinar, SPARC and the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence will present on stalking—what it is and isn’t, it’s prevalence, how it intersects with teen dating violence, and what we can do to ensure that we are providing appropriate services and responses to youth who are seeking support.
February 2020 Teen Dating Violence Action Guides
Respect Week is February 10 – February 14th.
Looking for ways to engage during Respect Week?
Click this link to view the Respect Week Action Guide: www.loveisrespect.org/TDVAM-2020-Respect-Week-Guide.pdf
Are you an educator, youth group leader, parent, or an adult who has a loved one who is a teen?
Click the link to view the Helper Action Guide: www.loveisrespect.org/TDVAM-Action-Guide-2020-For-Helpers.pdf
www.loveisrespect.org/teendvmonth/
[Retrieved from loveisrespect.org a National Domestic Violence Hotline project]
#1Thing LoveIsRespect Campaign for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
#1Thing
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, or TDVAM for short.
Every February across the United States, teens and those who support them join together for a national effort to raise awareness to teen dating violence. Dating violence is more common than many people think. One in three teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults. And nearly half (43%) of college women report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors. By joining together every February, we can spread awareness and stop dating abuse before it starts!
The 2020 TDVAM campaign theme is “#1Thing”
Pronounced “One Thing” or “Hashtag One Thing”, this campaign is focused on meeting teens where they are at. By learning one thing about teen dating violence and sharing that with a friend, every teen can make a difference. We’re starting at square one together to build healthy relationships from the ground up. By just learning or doing one thing, you can start the conversation about healthy relationships in your friend circles, schools, and communities. Everyone has a part in ending dating abuse, even if that one thing seems small in the moment. Every step towards ending dating violence is an important one!
www.loveisrespect.org/teendvmonth/
[Retrieved from loveisrespect.org a National Domestic Violence Hotline project]
