Teen dating violence is on the rise all over the country ... now it hits Hollywood.
Last week was national "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week." But teen dating violence was back in the spotlight over the weekend as 19-year-old Radio Disney sensation Chris Brown allegedly assaulted his girlfriend Rihanna over the weekend.
Domestic violence often starts early, and teens and young adults ages 16 to 24 are at the highest risk of their lives, according to experts working to get that message out.
"Dating violence is something that is unfortunately very common, and certain red flags are considered normal in our society," said Becky George, teen dating violence education coordinator.
Teenagers and young adults sometimes think jealousy, for instance, is a way of showing love, George said.
It's actually one of the warning signs of a potentially abusive relationship.
Other red flags:
• excessive text-messaging or calling
• monitoring calls and e-mails
• frequently showing up unannounced
• telling the other person what to do and wear
• publicly embarrassing the other
• frequent accusations of "cheating" or flirting
• keeping the other from doing things they enjoy
• threats of suicide or self-injury in the event of a breakup
Some research shows that 98% of teenage girls who have been abused continue to date the abuser. Your teen could be one of them.
If you suspect your daughter is in an abusive relationship, the following are some classic warning signs to watch out for:
• She apologizes for his behavior and makes excuses for him.
• She loses interest in activities that she used to enjoy.
• She stops seeing friends and family members and becomes more isolated.
• When your daughter and her boyfriend are together, he calls her names and puts her down in front of other people.
• He acts extremely jealous of others who pay attention to her, especially other guys.
• He thinks or tells your daughter that you don't like him.
• He controls her behavior, checking up on her constantly, calling and paging her, demanding to know who she has been with.
• She casually mentions his violent behavior, but laughs it off as a joke.
• She often has unexplained injuries, or the explanations she offers don't make sense.
• You see him violently lose his temper, striking or breaking objects.
"Teens' views on healthy relationships are based on what they see at home, in the media and with peers, which can be very detrimental to their own lives if their parents are in an abusive relationship," George said.
In a 2007 interview with Giant magazine, Brown said his mother had been physically abused by his stepfather. "He used to hit my mom," he was quoted as saying.
In a statement, police say Brown and his companion (presumably Rihanna) "became involved in an argument. After stopping his car, Brown and the woman got out and the argument escalated. The woman suffered visible injuries and identified Brown as her attacker."
By the time officers arrived on the scene, Brown had split.
An eyewitness tells RadarOnline.com: "It was some time after 12PM [Sunday] and I had been waiting in the ER department corridor at Cedars Sinai hospital when Rihanna was brought through the back entrance on a gurney, flanked by two LAPD officers. It was impossible to know it was her at first because when they wheeled her past me, she had the hood on her fuchsia-colored sweatshirt tightly drawn round her face and she was wearing big brown sunglasses. They took her into room 14 which was opposite me. It had a six-foot glass door but the nurses drew a privacy curtain around it."
"I knew the person was famous because of all the attention she was being given by security and medical staff. However, they didn't draw the curtain all the time and I was finally able to make out that the woman they had brought in was Rihanna. She was lying in bed. While the two police officers waited outside, Rihanna was seen by the doctor. When he left, a plain clothes officer in a mismatched suit went in. I figured he was a detective because I saw the handcuffs in his belt. He stayed in there for about an hour."
"When he left, Rihanna's two female assistants went in to see her and a private security guard stood outside. The police officers were given room 10 to use which was close to Rihanna's. "Rihanna was clearly very upset by what had happened and I could hear her screaming. Rihanna was trying to get her point across about something, she sounded like she was crying as she tried to get to put her point across."
"Her staff was also very shaken by what had happened. Later on I saw one of the assistants crying into the shoulder of the security guard. I left at 4 PM, happy to get out of the place, something terrible had clearly happened to Rihanna."
Brown, 19, turned himself in at the LAPD's Wilshire station around 6:30 PM Sunday and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of four years. The case will now be sent to the district attorney's office and further charges could be filed. He was released from jail after posting $50,000 bail.
"He was very professional and didn't appear to have injuries," said Sgt. Bridget Pickett, adding, "He's a good looking young man."
Both Chris Brown and Rihanna in turn withdrew from scheduled performances at the Grammys.
Wrigley has told "Extra" they plan to "suspend" the gum commercials featuring the singer. The statement says, "Wrigley is concerned by the serious allegations made against Chris Brown. We believe Mr. Brown should be afforded the same due process as any citizen. However, we have made the decision to suspend the current advertising featuring Brown and any related marketing communications until the matter is resolved."
We will keep you posted as this disturbing story develops.
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