{"id":17346,"date":"2026-02-10T12:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17346"},"modified":"2026-02-22T19:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:08:46","slug":"real-love-respects-the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-highlights-teen-dating-violence-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/real-love-respects-the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-highlights-teen-dating-violence-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Love Respects: The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Highlights Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>February 10, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact: <\/strong>Dr. Zelalem Attlee, <u><a href=\"mailto:Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov\">Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Real Love Respects<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Highlights Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Warrenton, Va. \u2013 February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District reminds teens and the community what love is. Love should feel safe and supportive, not controlling or frightening.<\/p>\n<p>Teen dating violence is more common than you might realize. In the U.S., <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/intimate-partner-violence\/about\/about-teen-dating-violence.html\">1 in 10 teens<\/a><\/u>\u00a0experienced some sort of dating violence.\u00a0It can happen in person, online, or via text messages.<\/p>\n<p><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loveisrespect.org\/dating-basics-for-healthy-relationships\/\">Dating violence<\/a><\/u>\u00a0can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Psychological and Emotional Abuse:<\/strong>\u00a0When someone uses words or behaviors to control their partner, destroy the partner\u2019s self-confidence\/esteem, or keep them away from other people.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical Abuse:<\/strong>\u00a0Hitting, shoving or intentionally injuring a partner.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sexual Abuse: <\/strong>To pressure or force another person to have sex, including when the partner is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stalking:<\/strong>\u00a0Repeated unwanted attention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Unhealthy relationships can have long-term effects on physical and mental health. They thrive in isolation. It\u2019s important for teens to maintain relationships with friends and family while dating. Parents and mentors should ask teens about their relationships and create an atmosphere where they can be honest without the fear of judgement or getting in trouble.<\/p>\n<p>Parents, schools, and communities must model and promote healthy, supportive relationships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReal love is built on respect, trust, and safety,\u201d said Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director J. Carr, M.D. \u201cDuring Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we want young people to know that healthy relationships never involve control, fear, or harm, and help is always available.\u201d<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>People can help by sharing posts on social media. They can talk with teens about healthy relationships and support survivors without judgment.<\/p>\n<p>Learning the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships helps young people make safer dating choices.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Healthy relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Respecting each other\u2019s feelings and boundaries<\/li>\n<li>Honesty<\/li>\n<li>Equality<\/li>\n<li>Both people consent or agree freely<\/li>\n<li>Making your own choices<\/li>\n<li>Feeling safe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Unhealthy relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Checking your phone<\/li>\n<li>Controlling who you can be friends with<\/li>\n<li>Excessive texts or calls<\/li>\n<li>Explosive temper<\/li>\n<li>Threatening or causing physical violence<\/li>\n<li>Pressuring a partner into unwanted sexual activity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you or someone you know is in an unhealthy relationship, free and confidential help is available 24\/7 at these resources:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><u><a href=\"https:\/\/vsdvalliance.org\/\">Action Alliance<\/a><\/u>\n<ul>\n<li>1-800-838-8238 (Talk)<\/li>\n<li>804-793-9999 (Text)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/domestic-and-sexual-violence-prevention\/\">Virginia Family Violence &amp; Sexual Assault Hotline<\/a><\/u>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>1-800-838-8238<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loveisrespect.org\/\"><u>Love Is Respect<\/u><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Leaving an unhealthy relationship is hard, but it\u2019s crucial for your safety and mental health. For more information, contact the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District at (<u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rrhd.org\">www.rrhd.org<\/a><\/u>).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 10, 2026 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov. Real Love Respects The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Highlights Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Warrenton, Va. \u2013 February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District reminds teens and the community what love is. Love should feel safe and supportive, not controlling or frightening. Teen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1520,1490,1521,1519,1517,1518,1516,1515],"class_list":["post-17346","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-emotional-abuse","tag-intimate-partner-violence","tag-physical-abuse","tag-psychological-abuse","tag-rape","tag-sexual-abuse","tag-stalking","tag-teen-dating-violence"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Real Love Respects: The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Highlights Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/real-love-respects-the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-highlights-teen-dating-violence-awareness-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Real Love Respects: The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Highlights Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"February 10, 2026 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov. 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