Teen Dating Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is not just an adult thing. It’s common among teens. The Center for Disease Control indicates that 7 percent of high schoolers experienced sexual violence by a dating partner, and 8 percent indicated physical violence.[i] However, the numbers are much higher when we include emotional and verbal abuse. “More than 60 […]

Partners’ Accountability

When you’ve been harmed by an intimate partner, you want them to be accountable for their behavior. You may spend a lot of time asking for this.  It’s hard to believe that a loved one can risk the relationship rather than take responsibility for what they’ve done and seek to make changes. When they say […]

DOMESTIC TERRORISM

If you’ve had an intimate partner hurt you emotionally, physically, or sexually, you may not have thought of it as terrorism. But I bet you’ve felt terror. Sociologist Albert D. Biderman constructed the Chart of Coercion decades ago to describe tactics designed to break the will of captured pilots. Advocates working with intimate partner violence […]

Seeing Domestic Abuse Through a Political Lens

“It’s unfortunate that we all have lived with abuse and that our society tolerates it. I would like to wish the pain away . . . but I know it can also serve a purpose – to help us identify and recognize abuse in the future.” Women’s Voices group participant When I decided to go […]