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Girls account for nine out of 10 US teenagers killed by partner but issue of teen abuse not taken seriously, study finds

'This is a public health issue that should be taken seriously,' says researcher

Maya Oppenheim
Women's Correspondent
Monday 15 April 2019 23:47 BST
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Researcher says 90 per cent of the perpetrators are male and guns are the most common weapon used
Researcher says 90 per cent of the perpetrators are male and guns are the most common weapon used

Some 90 per cent of teenagers killed by a partner in America are girls and domestic violence among teenagers is not taken seriously enough, a study suggests.

The piece of research, published in medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, looked at data from the National Violent Death Reporting System from 2003-2016, which included 2,188 homicides of young people 11-18 years where the relationship between the victim and perpetrator was known.

Of these homicides, 150 (6.9 per cent) were classified as intimate partner homicide.

Avanti Adhia, the report’s lead author, said: "While not a common occurrence, it does occur more often than people realise.”

Ms Adhia, a senior fellow at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Centre at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said 90 per cent of the perpetrators are male and guns are the most common weapon used.

”The majority of the homicides occur in older adolescence between the ages of 16-18," she said. "A common circumstance is when a victim ends a relationship with the perpetrator or there is jealousy over the victim dating someone new."

The researcher said another common scenario is an altercation or argument that ends in someone dying from a firearm or stabbing.

"This is a public health issue that should be taken seriously," Ms Adhia said.

She added: ”Partly why I was interested in this topic is the perception that teen dating violence is less serious than intimate partner violence among adults. But it's important to understand that things can escalate among teens as well."

While the data comes from 32 states, it has been expanded to 50 states and more cases will be available in the future. Evidence-based interventions should be put into effect in school and community settings around awareness, communication skills in relationships and bystander intervention, Ms Adhia said.

Rebecca Hitchen, campaigns manager of UK organisation End Violence Against Women Coalition, said violence perpetrated by teenage boys is often downplayed.

”Too often the violence within relationships - physical, emotional and sexual - that is perpetrated by boys who are under 18 is minimised or disregarded,” she said.

“We see this particularly in a school setting. This study illustrates the danger of thinking that domestic abuse only affects adults. It also demonstrates just how important it is to implement effective relationships and sex education, as well as safeguarding practices in schools and universities that recognise violence against women and girls, how common it is and how essential it is to intervene at an early stage.”

A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health found victims were five times more likely to be killed if their abuser has access to a gun. Other research has demonstrated partners and spouses often take the gun away from the victim and use it against them in instances of domestic abuse.

Domestic violence assaults which involve a firearm are 12 times more likely to end in the victim dying. In America, a woman is killed by a current or former intimate partner with a gun every 16 hours.

Intimate partner homicides have dropped by 7 per cent in states which have implemented laws allowing confiscation of firearms from domestic abusers.

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