Violence in teenage intimate partner relationships – Current knowledge in Norway

1. Violence in teenage intimate partner relationships – Current knowledge in Norway Carolina Øverlien, Ph.D Per Hellevik, Ph.D candidate Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies Oslo, Norway ISPCAN Dublin, September 16th 2013

2. Expert meeting • Arranged as a conference, with focus on: • Current national knowledge on teen dating violence • Teens being exposed on, and their misuses of, digital media in Norway • The issues discussed were: • Cyber aggression in general • Cyberbullying • Digital teen dating violence • Traditional teen dating violence • Lecturers from the violence and aggression field in Norway(+USA). • Prof. Justin W. Patchin • Prof. Svein Mossige • Associate Prof. Elisabeth Staksrud • Representatives from the Olweus group • Representative from the Oslo Police Department

3. The attendees where representatives from: • The Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion • Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs • Save the Children • The National Police Directorate and several police departements • Regional Centres for Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention • Shelters for abused women • And others

4. Policy and practice initiatives

5. Traditional («offline») IPV • Intimate partner violence has been on the political, research and practice agenda in Norway for the last 30 years. • The issue of teenage IPV has received little attention.

6. National action plans • Action plan on rape (June 2012) • Address to some extent the issue of the large number of reported rapes being teenage girls as victims and the offender being an acquaintance/boyfriend. • Action plans on interpersonal violence (March 2013) • Four actions plan on IPV (2000-2017) • Discuss to a little extent teenagers/adolescents • Action plan on violence and sexual abuse of children and adolescents (Sept. 2013) • Teenage IPV only mentioned • Includes chapter on digital media (primarily cyberbullying, digital IPV mentioned)

7. Research • A prevalence study on violence in young peoples (18-19 yrs) lives (Mossige & Stefansen, 2007) • 10 % have experience unwanted sexual acts from a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend of the same age • A representative, longitudinal study of dating violence among young adults (Pape, 2003). • Average age were 16,6 years old at T1 and 21,9 years old at T2. • 6 % of men and 4 % of women had been exposed to physical violence by their intimate partner within the last year. • 48 % of men and 55 % of women had been cursed at/verbally insulted by their intimate partner within the last year.

8. Digital («online») IPV • The use of digital media and its role in instigating and maintaining control in adolescents intimate relationships have not received any attention. • With regards to cyber aggression and misuses of digital media, cyberbylling has been considered the main issue. • Especially among children and adolescents.

9. Research • EU kids online (Norwegian data) • Includes data on cyberbullying • Being exposed to potentially harmful content, inappropriate contact, aggressive conduct and more • School surveys • Cyberbullying • Olweus anti bullying program • The Student Survey (by the Directorate of Education) • The School Environment Study (by The University of Stavanger)

10. Laws and regulations • There are a number of laws in Norway that regulates what can be published (pictures and text) or not on the Internet. - Not allowed to publish pictures of others without consent (Åndsverksloven § 45c, Personopplysningsloven § 8) • There is little awareness of these laws among adolescents, parents and professionals. • Criticism from NGOs and others of inadequate laws and laws that are not implemented and used

11. Concepts used for teenage intimate relationships • The lack of research on teen IPV in Norway has resulted in few formalized concepts and definitions of teen IPV, both online and offline. • Teenagers are uncertain of what they have experienced when faced with IPV. • They often blame themselves. • The experts emphasized the importance of finding what concepts and understandings teenagers themselves use.

12. Awareness of these issues • All the represented organisations were aware of these issues. • More often than before, their clients are exposed to the digital aspects of these issues. • The police know that teen digital dating violence is happening, but these cases are seldom officially reported to them. • Typical examples are harassment and unwanted posting of pictures. • Cases involving aggression and violence where digital media is involved, have often escalated online, before culminating in more severe violence. • These cases are not registered as digital aggression/violence. • The police are usually involved only when the conflict evolves beyond digital media.

13. The gender perspective • There seems to be a strong awareness of the gender perspective among professionals and researchers working with IPV or related issues (online and offline). • There is a tendency in legislation and national action plans to use a ‘gender neutral discourse’. • The new law regulating the shelters for abused women is gender neutral

14. The vignette – four main issues in the discussion • Conceptual • Is this violence, bullying, aggression or conflict? • Intervention • Who is to respond? What is the responsibility of the school? The police? • The legal aspects of the actions • Understand the reluctance of the girl • How is her definition/understanding important in regards to our response?

15. Comments • The actions were seen as part of a bigger pattern of violence. • Social control. • It was termed «psychological violence». • Sexual harassment. • The shelters for abused women reported that their clients often had severe difficulties with the abuser posting nude pictures/sexualized content of them. • The case was not seen as an issue for the child protection services. • When happening on school grounds, the school are by law expected to file a rapport of the incidence.