Teen dating violence (TDV) is especially harmful, particularly because many teens who experience it do not identify as victims/survivors, do not know they have autonomous legal rights as victims/survivors, and do not know where to turn to for help. Teens are also at an impressionable age, their minds are still developing, and in these formative years the abuses they may encounter are likely to instill long term and lasting effects that will shape the way they see themselves and how they get involved in, interact in, and maintain future relationships. Because of this, it is very important for teens to learn, as early and from as many adult sources as possible, what a healthy relationship is, how to model it, and where to get help if they are being abused by someone they have developed a relationship with.

January 2021 is National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM). It is a yearly reminder that education and outreach is an important part of recognizing and addressing criminal stalking, or to Know It, Name It, Stop It.