– I get a huge amount of anger in me, I go wild when I get jealous. Love can actually hurt, says 18-year-old Amar.
Amar and his girlfriend Laura have been together since middle school. Over the years they have argued a lot. On a number of occasions it has become physical, with punches and restraints.
– Then I loved him with my heart but I hated him in my head. You should never resort to violence, but it has happened to both of us, says Laura, 17.
Widespread intimate partner violence
At the end of At the end of 2021, the largest quantitative Swedish research study that has been done, focusing solely on violence in young people’s close relationships, was completed. The study resulted in a thesis, written by Sibel Korkmaz. The research leader has been Carolina Överlien, professor of social work at Stockholm University and active at the National Knowledge Center on Violence and Traumatic Stress (NKTVS) in Oslo.
– We didn’t know that the violence was so extensive for young people because we had never done studies on it. The first thing we have to do is realize that this is a problem that occurs in young people’s relationships and that it exists to at least the same extent as among adults, she says.
What is domestic violence?
Violence in close relationships can look different. It can be psychological, physical, sexual, digital or financial, among other things. In the study from Stockholm University, it appears that one in two of the respondents aged 15 to 19 had experienced psychological violence such as violations, manipulation, control or threats. One in three had experienced various types of sexual violence. One in six had experienced physical violence.
– It is the psychological violence that young people talk about the most. It’s not a single snarky comment, it’s systematic abusive and demeaning language, or restricting someone else’s life to such an extent that they can’t live a normal life. Physical violence is the least common in our studies.
Do you feel bad about your relationship?
Visit ungarelationer.se. There is also support for parents here.
Violent young love is a three-part series of Ulrika Nandra.
Producer: Martin Jonsson [email protected]
Final mix: Bengt Pettersson
Footnote: Amar and Laura are actually called something else.
Source: ICELAND NEWS