“There’s no place like home,” says every cliche sign that doesn’t take into account the 10 million people each year who are domestically abused. Domestic Violence Awareness Month is October and it does not get the attention that it deserves. 

Domestic violence can happen to anyone from all ages. It can be a mom hitting her son or a boyfriend sexually assaulting his girlfriend. There are many other types of abuse that don’t have as much recognition such as economical, emotional, and psychological. These happen just as often as sexual and physical violence. 

According to the National Library of Medicine , some of the reasons for abusers’ actions are psychological disorders, jealousy, low self esteem, or drugs and alcohol. Although people’s first reaction would be therapy, most abusers don’t believe they are the problem and don’t seek help.

We believe that there should be more mental health outlets for not only the abuser but also the people being abused. The risk factors for people who are abused are life threatening. Domestic violence can cause individual, relationship, community, and societal issues and trauma. Being a teenager in high school dealing with the issues stated above plus all of the other stresses that come with life, it will cause many mental health issues.

Signs of domestic violence in teenagers are acting different, increased aggressive behavior, being jumpier or more on guard, having unexplained physical injuries, and engaging in harmful behaviors (self-harm, drug use, and risky or unhealthy sexual behavior). These are only a few of the numerous symptoms victims experience. 

Domestic violence dramatically affects teenagers and their ability to focus and do school due to the lack of sleep and chaoticness they receive while being in a domestically abusing relationship.  According to The Whole Child, a program that helps with individual needs of each child and their family, teens from violent homes experience guilt and shame about their violent homes and fear the consequences of talking about the abuse within the home. These students usually hide their abuse from their peers and pretend to be okay which makes it hard for people to notice. 

A statistic from Do Something.org  33% of students in America are victim of sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional dating abuse. 50% of young people who experience rape or physical or sexual abuse will attempt to commit suicide. It is sickening to know that 310 out of 1000 sexual assaults go unreported, meaning people will ignore victims cries for help. Suicide is one of the many reasons for highschoolers death and to know domestic abuse is a cause of it really urges us to want to prevent this. 

Although domestic violence occurs more heavily in lower income areas this does not mean students at DGN aren’t abused at home. It can also mean a man or woman can be abused. There is a stigma that men are always the abuser and women are always the ones abused. However, the National Library of Medicine says 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 7 men are domestically abused each year. Overall nearly 20 people are domestically abused per minute in a relationship. There is so much domestic violence in the world that not one gender’s feelings are more valid than the other, all of the victims deserve an end to their abuse.

If you see anyone with symptoms or you think there might be something domestically going on that doesn’t seem right, communicate. This could be telling them you are there if they want to talk or going to the Alpha team and speaking about your concerns. Never judge someone for what is going on in their lives because it is not their fault and they need support more than anything.

On the other hand if you are experiencing domestic abuse of any sort don’t hide your feelings and reach out for help. This is easier said than done but the longer you hold in your problems the worse it will get for you. Talk to a teacher, a coach, a friend, or any staff member and they will move you in the right direction to putting an end to the abuse. 

Domestic violence is everywhere and happening all the time. It is so important to be educated on topics like this so that we can spread awareness on it. All of the victims deserve to be healed and be able to live their life without fear of what strike will happen next.