YOUNG WOMEN who are experiencing abuse by their boyfriends will be targeted in a Women’s Aid campaign to be launched today.
The “2in2u” campaign highlights the problem of date abuse for women aged 18-25.
Women’s Aid said it was trying to break the myth that abuse only occurred in older and more established relationships, where women were married or living with their partners and had children.
Women’s Aid director Margaret Martin said the campaign would highlight the way a controlling boyfriend’s attention could be overwhelming at the early stages of the relationship. Young women were often not equipped to deal with this behaviour.
Many victims of domestic violence have said the signs that their partners were possessive and controlling were there from the start but they dismissed them with the belief that the boyfriend was “just so into her”.
According to Women’s Aid, almost 60 per cent of people who have experienced severe abuse in intimate relationships were under 25 when they first experienced it.
Its research has found that 95 per cent of young women and 84 per cent of young men say they know someone who has experienced abuse, violence or harassment, ranging from being followed to being forced to have sex to being hit by a boyfriend.
The campaign highlights signs of dating abuse such as a boyfriend controlling what his girlfriend wears or whom she sees and when. It could involve a boyfriend constantly bombarding his partner with texts or using technology to abuse, control and stalk her. The behaviour could escalate to threats to harm her, forced sexual acts or physical attacks.
The campaign is being launched on St Valentine’s Day to coincide with a time traditionally associated with love and romance and joy.
“In contrast, the 2in2u campaign is designed to show the hidden reality for many young women who are experiencing abuse, control and violence at the hands of their boyfriends.”
Women’s Aid has described the four-week campaign as groundbreaking. The website 2in2u.ie has a “relationship health check” questionnaire that young women can do if they are feeling anxious or worried about their relationship.
* The Women’s Aid national freephone helpline is 1800-341900.
ST VALENTINE PATRON SAINT OF EPILEPSY
EPILEPSY, DATING and marriage counselling services are just some of the issues being highlighted today to mark St Valentine’s Day.
Brainwave – the Irish Epilepsy Association – is promoting the first European Epilepsy Day because of the little-known fact that St Valentine is the patron saint of epilepsy. The campaign highlights the practical steps people can take if they see someone having a seizure.
Brainwave’s chief executive Mike Glynn said inappropriate measures were often taken, such as putting something in the person’s mouth or calling an ambulance when it was not needed.
An estimated 37,000 Irish people have epilepsy. Brainwave’s website epilepsy.ie outlines the steps to deal with seizures.
Separately, Accord – the Catholic marriage care service – has used St Valentine’s Day to announce a 6 per cent increase in the number of couples booking their marriage preparation courses online this year.
Last year, some 1,183 people booked the courses online for the first six weeks of the year, compared with 1,255 for the same period this year.
