Violence and abuse in young people’s intimate relationships

This chapter discusses interpersonal violence and abuse (IPVA) in the intimate relationships of young people aged 13 to 17 years old. Findings from three studies, undertaken in Bulgaria, Cyprus, England, Italy, Norway, Scotland and Wales, demonstrate the prevalence and impact of IPVA in young relationships. The third study, Safeguarding Teenage Intimate Relationships (STIR), addressed how new technologies were used in young people’s relationships to reinforce other forms of face-to-face IPVA as well as constituting a discrete form of abuse. The chapter addresses what we can do to prevent this form of abuse in young people’s lives, and discusses the app that was developed as part of the STIR project.