Abusive Relationships Lesson 1 8th Grade

Relationship Violence Nearly 1 in 3 (29%) teens that have been in a dating relationship experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, or threats of physical harm to a partner or self. 1 in 3 teens reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, or physically hurt by a partner. 45% of teen girls know someone who has been pressured or forced into having intercourse or oral sex ***VIDEO*** Dating Violence Click picture 8th Grade 2

Video Supplements Click on Love Is Not Abuse The following videos are real girls with their true life stories. (Show only 2 stories and discuss the types of abuse) ***VIDEOS*** Love is Not Abuse 8th Grade 3

Your Thoughts For Discussion What were some of the types of abuse each girl dealt with? What “specifically” were the boyfriends doing to the girls? What impact did the abuse have on the girls? How did each girl end their relationship? Did it end smoothly for each? 8th Grade

This is the end of Abusive Relationships STOP HERE 8th Grade

Coping with Abuse Lesson 2 Relationships Coping with Abuse Lesson 2 8th Grade

CYCLE OF VIOLENCE 8th Grade

CYCLE OF VIOLENCE Tension Building: PHASE 1: Things start to get tense between the two people. In this phase: • The two people argue a lot. • The abuser yells at the target for no reason. • The abuser makes false accusations about the target. • The target feels that she or he can’t do anything right. • The atmosphere is tense, as if things could blow up at any moment. In many abusive dating relationships, the physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse is not a one-time incident. It usually happens again and again. 8th Grade

CYCLE OF VIOLENCE Explosion: PHASE 2: The tension is released in a burst of physical, sexual and/or verbal/emotional abuse. The abuser may: • Scream and yell in a way that is frightening and/or humiliating. • Hit, grab, shove, kick, slam the other person against the wall, etc. • Throw objects. • Threaten to hurt the other person or someone he or she cares about. • Rape the other person or force him or her to go further sexually than he or she wants to. 8th Grade

CYCLE OF VIOLENCE PHASE 3: Honeymoon: The abuser tries to make the target stay in the relationship by apologizing and/or shifting the blame for the abuse onto someone or something else. The abuser may: • Apologize and promise that the abuse will never happen again. • Say “I love you.” • Buy the other person flowers or gifts. • Accuse the other person of doing something to cause the abuse. • Blame the abuse on other things such as alcohol, drugs or stress. 8th Grade

CYCLE OF VIOLENCE THE CYCLE CONTINUES…. OVER and OVER AGAIN!!! After the honeymoon phase: The tension starts to build again, leading to another explosion. Over time, the honeymoon phase may get shorter or even disappear, and the explosions may become more violent and dangerous. Some targets of dating abuse never experience the honeymoon phase—just the tension building and explosion phases. These phases do not happen in every abusive relationship. Someone may be experiencing dating abuse even if this pattern is not present THE CYCLE CONTINUES…. OVER and OVER AGAIN!!! 8th Grade

Help for the abused Tell someone- if you or someone you know is being abused tell your parents, teacher, counselor, or a trusted adult. Go somewhere safe- leave the situation if in immediate danger, go to a friend’s house, police station, a religious institution, somewhere supervised. Consider counseling- abuse leaves emotional and mental scars on victims long after they are safe. Professionals can help victims deal with their pain and rebuild self-esteem. 8th Grade