SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and one local organization is recognizing that by working to address the issue so young people can be aware of the signs of dating abuse and know that help is out there.

Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services is an organization serving St. Joseph, Van Buren and Cass counties with the objective of leading efforts to end domestic violence and sexual assault in southwest Michigan. DASAS offers many services to domestic and sexual abuse survivors including a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, support groups, legal advocacy and access to housing and financial assistance, in addition to many other services.

This month, DASAS is addressing the topic of teen dating violence by running its Red Flag campaign. With the campaign, DASAS has produced posters and is educating local students and young people about the “red flags” of dating violence, the different forms it can take and what bystanders can do to address the issue.

“It’s important to focus on teens because when we have Domestic Violence Awareness Month or Sexual Assault Awareness Month, teens tend to think of that as someone else. They think it is an adult issue,” said Deborah Hackworth, director of advocacy services for DASAS.  “It’s important to talk to teens and focus directly on them so that they know it is a problem and there is help for them.”

According to Love Is Respect, a project supported by the Family and Youth Services Bureau and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. Additionally, one in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, according to the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Because of these statistics, Hackworth said it is important that teens are aware of the of the issue of teen dating violence and that they know the warning signs so that they can help themselves or others they believe may be involved in an abusive relationship.

“We want teens to know how to help themselves and help someone else,” Hackworth said.

The “red flags” of teen dating violence included in the Red Flag campaign are:

• Intensity — This includes when a partner uses excessive charm, lies to cover up insecurity, uses over the top gestures that seem too much too soon, bombards their significant other with texts or emails, and insists that they get serious immediately.

• Jealousy — This includes when a partner reacts when their significant other interacts with others, becomes angry when they speak to the opposite sex, persistently accuses them of cheating or flirting, resents time spent with family and friends and demands to know the private details of their life.

• Control — This includes when a partner tells their significant other what to wear, when to speak or what to think. It also includes when a partner shows up uninvited, goes through their significant other’s phone, social media and belongings, when they follow them, or sexually coerce them.

• Isolation — This includes a partner insists that their significant other only spend time with them, makes them emotionally or psychologically dependent, prevents them from seeing family and friends and prevents them from going to school or work.

• Criticism — This includes when a partner excessively criticizes and belittles their significant other, and makes them feel worthless and that no one else could care for them.

• Sabotage — This includes when a partner makes their significant other miss an event, hides or steals their belongings and undermines their plans.

• Blame — This includes when a partner makes their significant other feel responsible for their behavior, emotional manipulation and blaming them for problems.

• Anger — This includes when a partner overreacts to small problems, has violent outbursts, makes threats, picks fights and makes their significant other feel afraid.

Once teens recognize the “red flags,” they can work to help others and find help, Hackworth said. Once a teen bystander sees the “red flags,” Hackworth recommended that they report the situation to a trusted adult.

“We are all bystanders who potentially see things happening,” she said. “It is responsible for us to take action for those who need help. Doing nothing is not an option. A good bystander takes action to intervene when they see violence.”

Though teen dating violence may always be a problem that affects a large population of young adults, Hackworth said that once teens are armed with information, they have the power to make a difference and help fight the problem.

“I have seen teens change their lives, which in turn changed the lives of their children, as they have never known abuse,” Hackworth said. “Intervention can be generational. … It can help stop the cycle of abuse.”

If any group, school or club would like to hear a presentation from DASAS this month about teen dating violence, contact DASAS at 1 (800) 828-2023.