Controlling behaviour

Research by the NSPCC suggests that 25% of girls aged 13 to 17 had experienced physical violence from a boyfriend and a third had been pressured into sexual acts they did not want.

The children's charity said it was alarmed by the number of young people who viewed abuse in relationships as normal. Diana Sutton of the NSPCC said she hoped a new Home Office advertising campaign would encourage teenagers to come together to tackle the problem. "Many teenagers perhaps don't talk to their parents and maybe it's not that comfortable to talk to a teacher," she said.

Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos said the results of the survey were "quite startling" and felt that many girls had an expectation that "boys will be boys" and violence would happen anyway.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said it was essential to change attitudes in order to stop abuse against females. He said: "We want to see young people in safe and happy relationships and this means tackling attitudes towards abuse at an early age, before patterns of violence can occur. We hope this campaign will help teenagers to recognise the signs of abuse and equip them with the knowledge and confidence to seek help, as well as understanding the consequences of being abusive or controlling in a relationship."

APA