True North Society advocating awareness surrounding teen dating violence

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The True North Society is running a campaign for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, aiming to draw attention to the growing issue, and offer resources and support for those who require it. 

“A lot of the campaign is facilitated through our public education program, and this is where that public education piece can be really powerful. We use a lot of primary prevention strategies that focus on building youth and parent knowledge and awareness,” said Amanda Vanderlaan, manager of research and development with the True North Society. “We have our online campaign, so we post some information on our social (media channels); we have a really in-depth article on our website that goes into lots of different elements like, what does teen dating violence look like, strategies for teens to help themselves, things that caregivers can do, and then we also talk about it a lot in our workshops with students.”

Through their workshops, Vanderlaan explained True North is able to speak directly with youth who may be dealing with bullying or unhealthy behaviors within their romantic relationships.

The society is aiming to grow their prevention strategies, both by looking at violence in youth and adult relationships throughout the province. 

“We are seeing increased rates of domestic violence in adult and in youth relationships. True North is really trying to focus on buffing up our prevention strategies because we know that prevention strategies work when individuals have the tools, education and support to make healthy choices,” said Vanderlaan. “We really are trying to call in all members of our community to do their part in supporting healthy relationships and that is using our socials, using our website, talking to people in person and community events to reach all members of our community.”

Approximately 20 per cent of Canadian teens between the ages of 11 and 18 report experiencing physical violence in their relationships, and 35 per cent report experiencing emotional or psychological violence. 

Teen dating violence may manifest as intimidation, stalking, sexual coercion, reproductive coercion, isolation, and direct physical violence. 

Statistics Canada data released in 2022 indicates approximately 45 per cent of Canadian teens aged 15-17 report experiencing some form of dating violence, being physical, emotional, and/or sexual. 

Police reported instances of dating violence in this age group were indicated to be twice as high in rural compared to urban areas. 

Among teen girls, seven per cent reported experiencing sexual abuse including being forced to perform sexual acts, and five per cent reported being forced into having sexual intercourse. 

The most common types of unwanted sexual behaviors in public are unwanted sexual attention, unwanted physical contact, and unwanted comments about their sex or gender. These are experienced by both men and women – however are reported to be much lower directed towards men.

Cyber violence is also pervasive and is a growing problem, perpetuated digitally through text, social media, and networking applications. 

This may include instances of hacking, harassment, impersonation, spreading of rumors and gossip, and coercion to share intimate photographs and videos.

Vanderlaan explained True North currently does not have any scheduled in-person workshops, however public education is still active and schools are able to request hosting events.

“When we talk about teen dating violence, it is really important to recognize it in the sense that this is really a community campaign – it is not just for parents, it is not just for teachers. We really need to call on all members of our community to do their part in supporting healthy youth relationships,” she said. “That can look like calling out dangerous behaviors like cat calling in our friend groups or modeling healthy coping skills at home. It could be being aware of what information our teens are digesting online and encouraging them to be critical, especially of social media.”

More information about teen dating violence and awareness is available through the True North website and social media channels, as well as through Stats Canada, publicly published journals, and PREVNet.