A 2010 Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found that one in
five women and nearly one in seven men who were ever raped, physically
assaulted or stalked by an intimate partner, first experienced some form
of partner violence between the ages of 11 and 17.
Valentine's Day is next week. It is a time to celebrate love. But, for
many young people, the idea of love and intimacy is distorted by an early experience of abuse at the hands of someone they know and care about.
This tells us that the cycle of partner violence often starts very early in life, most likely when children witness abuse at the hands of the adults in their lives.
Domestic abuse is a problem that crosses socioeconomic, racial and demographic lines. The statistic from the CDC tells us how widespread it is. We need to promote the idea that the problem can be addressed at a young age, when children are still impressionable and believe in the goodness of people they trust.
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