In the U.S., 1 in 3 women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime. But in Bexar County, it’s 1 in 3 women by the time they reach 18, according to the Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc.
“In Texas last year, the youngest person to lose their life to a teen dating violence relationship was only 13,” said Christina Campos, director of community integrated services for the nonprofit. “That we know of.”
Bexar County has one of the highest homicide rates due to domestic violence in Texas only surpassed by Dallas and Harris counties.
The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District released its strategic plan to address violence in the city in January. Among its goals are preventing intimate partner violence and reducing repeated cycles of violence.
But the city currently does not track reports of teen dating violence incidents.
“If we really want to address abuse and violence, intimate partner violence and family violence, we have to look back to that root, what’s happening with our kids,” said Campos. “This is something our kids are actively experiencing.”
“When you grow up in a home where you are observing violence, you are so much more likely to either become a perpetrator of that violence, or be in a relationship where you’re accepting [it] because it’s so normalized,” Campos said.
Two years ago, Brandeis High School student Teagan House conducted her own 18-question survey to learn how prevalent dating violence is among her peers.
House asked 100 area students, between the ages of 13 and 25, about dating and different behaviors they or their friends have experienced.
She found that 42% of students reported having had a romantic partner tell them they didn’t want them to hang out with certain people or friends, and that they’ve been shamed, or pressured into doing something sexual with a romantic partner.
Students also shared they’ve been called ‘crazy’ or ‘stupid’ in order to invalidate concerns about the relationship, and have been cheated on.
A third of students surveyed said they’ve been told abusive behavior was their fault, and two-thirds said they received unsolicited and unwanted explicit images or texts.
Nearly a quarter of students reported being forced to give up passwords or locations to their romantic partners, and 32% reported a partner had threatened suicide if they broke up with them.
A new library for shelter residents
A faith-based youth group in San Antonio found a way to support those affected by domestic violence by collecting donations and creating a library at the Battered Women’s and Children’s Shelter, a safe haven managed by Family Violence Prevention Services that operates at an undisclosed location for families’ safety.
Their efforts were recognized by the national group Alliance for Shared Values as part of its 2024 Young Leaders in Civic Engagement awards program.
Omer Emre Tunca, a School of Science and Technology student and member of the nonprofit’s Youth Advisory Council, wanted to do more to help domestic violence survivors with his peers Nihat Topcu, Mesut Altiyev, Abdulaziz Imanaliyev, and Mustafa Nalcaci, so they fundraised and held book drives.
The group chose the name “Nurturing Hope” because they wanted to “bring hope to people who are currently suffering in one way or another,” Omer said.
The group collected $51,000 worth of academic supplies, including over 5,000 books, while advocating about the dangers of teen domestic violence. Then, they purchased book shelves for the shelter.
Tunca said they were able to collect so many books by taking unused textbooks from a Science of School and Technology abandoned campus, and the Harmony Science Academy, which both had books sitting in empty rooms. They spent nine hours on a recent Saturday, cleaning each book, drying it off and organizing it by titles.
When the students arrived with the large donation, shelter officials decided to turn an empty room on campus into a library for its residents living in emergency and transitional housing.
Campos said the new library will include a small recognition that will say, “Made possible by the generous donation of Nurturing Hope.”
Last year, Nurturing Hope won first place in the Young Leaders in Civic Engagement Awards for their work donating toys to children at the shelter. Their mentor, Sumeyra Tek, board president of the nonprofit Raindrop Foundation, which was founded by Muslim Turkish-Americans affiliated with Hizmet Movement, also mentored the youth group Climate Enthusiasts of San Antonio, which won third place.
Tek said the foundation encourages youth groups to focus on topics to help the community.
“It does feel nice to be able to at least have a little bit— if it’s not super significant— some impact, and helping really beat [teen dating violence],” Omer said. “On a local scale [it’s significant], but nationwide, there’s still so much work that needs to be done.”
Omer recalls two separate accounts of private photos being shared across a classroom – when he was in 7th grade and another time when he was in 9th grade.
Texas lawmakers make it difficult for schools to present curriculum on domestic and family violence. In order to have conversations about teen dating violence, public schools require parents to sign off on the material.
“When we avoid talking about things because of the sensitive nature of it … [it’s] such a disservice,” Campos said, adding that consequences could include a child committing suicide, addiction to drugs because that’s how they’re coping and teen pregnancies.
Teens who experience teen dating violence are more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms and engage in destructive behaviors, like drinking, smoking and sexual activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They’re more likely to exhibit antisocial behaviors, like lying, theft, bullying and think about suicide.
“This is going to carry on. They’re going to have these relationships into adulthood and their children are going to become part of that cycle,” Campos said.
