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Abstract: 

Do teens have legal recourse when they are abused by intimate partners? No, they don’t—particularly when the perpetrator is also a minor. According to the authors of this article, the laws in some states make it nearly impossible for minors to receive legal protection because the laws are vague, they require parental involvement, or they do not recognize dating violence as a form of intimate partner violence. Fortunately, changes in the law can be made that protect minor victims and hold perpetrators accountable. These changes in the law can increase safety for victims and promote change in abusers. This is the first of two articles from Break the Cycle. The second appears in FIPV Volume 1 Number 2 (Fall 2008) and suggesst how laws can be changed to protect teens from dating violence.

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Affiliations:  1: Break the Cycle; 2: Break the Cycle.