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February Is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM)

Dating violence is more common than you may think, especially among teens and young adults: 1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re in a relationship with before becoming adults. And nearly half (43%) of U.S. college women report experiencing violent or abusive dating behaviors.

Each February, young adults and their loved ones nationwide raise awareness about teen dating violence through Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM). This annual, month-long effort focuses on advocacy and education to stop dating abuse before it starts.

Learn More

3 Ways to Raise Awareness

1) Follow us and share our posts on social media

➜ Click each image below to open in Instagram, and share with your followers!

Stay tuned and share more posts all month long ➜

2) Wear Orange Tuesday, February 11th

Orange is the official color for teen dating violence awareness. Wear orange (or download one of our orange virtual backgrounds to use) on February 11th to raise awareness about teen dating violence and the resources available to youth!

See Backgrounds and Facts to Share

3) Explore learning resources for healthy relationships

Learn more about topics like boundaries, consent, sexuality and more with age-appropriate resources for everyone, from children to adults. Resources include reading lists for all ages!

See Resources

Events

Valentine Party at Solace Outpost

Join us at Solace Outpost (Falls Church location) at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 14th for food, drinks, and live music with Champagne Velvet. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Doorways to support survivors.

Save the date: Rocklands' fundraiser for Doorways is May 1st!

This family friendly fan-favorite event returns this spring. Tickets sell fast, so stay tuned for their release!

In the News

Coercive control to be put on par with other types of domestic abuse in England and Wales

"Coercive control was made a criminal offence in 2015. The number of coercive control offences recorded by police across England and Wales has risen in the last two years to more than 45,000 in 2024, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Almost all of those convicted are men.

Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women's Aid, said: 'Coercive control is a key tool used by perpetrators of domestic abuse, as it isolates survivors and makes them dependent on an abuser.

'It is essential that specialist domestic abuse services, with expertise on abusive behaviours and the impacts on victims and survivors, are routinely included in the Mappa process if survivors are to be properly protected by this measure.'"

Coercive control to be treated like other domestic abuse offences

"Offenders convicted of coercive or controlling behaviour now face tougher management from police and probation services in England and Wales, meaning the crime is 'on a par' with other domestic abuse offences.

From Monday, those convicted of the crime and sentenced to 12 months or more will automatically be managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa).

Under Mappa, the police, probation, prison services and other agencies are legally required to work together to better manage the risks posed by the offenders.

For the first time, it puts controlling or coercive behaviour on a par with other domestic abuse offences, including threats to kill and stalking, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said."

What is coercive control?

"Coercive control refers to continuous patterns of behaviour that are intended to exert power or control over a survivor. These behaviours deprive survivors of their independence and can make them feel isolated or scared. This can have a serious impact on a survivor’s day-to-day life and wellbeing.

Coercive control can be tricky for survivors, and those around them, to recognise because the tactics used can be subtle and escalate slowly. Coercive control in a relationship is a recognised form of abuse."

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