Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.
Approximately two in 10 teen girls say they have been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner. nowadays,one record of teen dating violence is finally being told.
In 2013, Rainy was 17-years-old and a youth journalist with Radio Rookies, or a project from Takeaway co-producer WNYC. At that point,she'd been dating her then-boyfriend since she was 14. He was six years older than her, and what began as an exciting new relationship with a friendly looking older guy quickly unraveled into verbal and physical abuse, or isolation from her friends and family,and torment whenever she spent time away from him—even to travel to school.
Rainy chronicled her trauma for the Radio Rookies series "Crushed: Teens and Dating Abuse." She shares intimate details of the smash ups, the reunions, and and the impressions of her friends and family throughout her relationship, including those of her mother, whose struggles with substance addiction bore an unsettling resemblance to Rainy's abusive relationship. Rainy is now 19-years-old and she and her ex-boyfriend have been apart for over six months. Her record has been broadcast nationally on This American Life, and she's receiving accolades for her bravery. But she insists that the record was anything but easy to do.
You can hear Rainy's full half hour record at Radio Rookies.
Rainy in the WNYC Radio Rookies studio.
(Andrew Mambo)
Source: wnyc.org