National Domestic Violence Awareness Project

loveisrespect:

Teen DV Month: How to Help Someone Else

We’re halfway through Teen DV Month! Last week, we had a great discussion about Relationship Rights. If you missed our Twitter chat on Thursday, check out Storify for the highlights. Also, take a look at some of the responses to last week’s #LIRasks question!

This week we’re talking about how to help someone who is in an abusive relationship. First, it’s important to recognize the signs that a friend or family member might be experiencing abuse:

• You notice their partner calls them names or puts them down in front of other people.
• If they talk to other people, their partner gets extremely jealous.
• They apologize for their partner’s behavior and make excuses for it.
• They frequently cancel plans at the last minute for reasons that sound untrue.
• Their partner is always checking up, calling or texting and demanding to know who they’re with and where they’ve been.
• You’ve seen fights escalate to breaking or hitting things.
• They’re constantly worried about upsetting their partner or making them angry.
• They give up things they used to enjoy such as spending time with friends or other activities.
• Their weight, appearance or grades have changed dramatically. These could be signs of depression, which could indicate abuse.
• They have injuries they can’t explain or the explanations they give don’t make sense.

Helping someone else can be frustrating, and maybe even scary. You might not know what to do or say. That’s okay; the most important thing you can do is let them know that you support them and they can trust you.  

Each Monday of Teen DV Month we’ll ask a question related to the theme of the week. Send us your responses on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram using the #LIRasks hashtag, and we’ll post the top responses on the blog at the end of the week.

This week’s question: How would you help a friend in an unhealthy/abusive relationship? Don’t forget to include #LIRasks in your response!

Learn more about helping someone in an abusive relationship:

• Why can’t my friend leave the abuse?
• How to help a friend.
• When you see something, should you say something?
• What is the Bystander Effect?
• How to help a coworker.
• Watching a parent deal with an abusive relationship is really tough, but there are ways you can support them.
• Want to test your knowledge? Take the How Would You Help? Quiz!

Got questions? Call, chat or text with a loveisrespect peer advocate today!