Violent relationships common among disadvantaged teenagers

Half of disadvantaged teenage girls have been attacked while in a violent relationship, according to latest research.

Carried out by Bristol University and the NSPPC the research included interviews with 82 boys and girls aged between 13 and 18.

All are no longer in mainstream education. Some have either been excluded, are young offenders or teenage mothers.

Half of the 38 girls involved said they had been in a sexually violent relationship and a similar proportion had been a victim of physical violence by their partner at least once.

A quarter of the 44 boys involved said they had dated a physically aggressive partner.

Research lead Christine Barter, from Bristol University, said: “Tragically, control and violence seem to be so prevalent in these relationships that girls are unable to recognise its impact. Many girls found it very difficult to see that their partner’s behaviour is abusive.”

These latest findings have been revealed in the NSPCC report Standing on my own two feet. This follows a 2009 study by the charity that looked at violence in relationships among teenagers in mainstream education.

Andrew Flanagan, NSPCC chief executive, added: “It’s appalling that violence in these relationships seems to be just part of daily life. These findings underline how important it is for children to be educated about abusive behaviour and for them to feel able to seek help to prevent it happening.”

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Reference Manual: Working with perpetrators of domestic violence