Rashae
“I am 16 years old, and I was a victim of dating abuse. I was in a relationship with a boy for over a year. In the beginning things were great, but after a few months he slowly began to change. He would put me down and try and make me feel like I wasn’t good enough. He would make it seem like I would never find anyone else because of things he thought I was doing wrong. I knew I was not perfect, but he would just say things to purposely hurt me. Often times, he would make me feel guilty for not being ready to have sex. If I said no to him, he would be verbally abusive, cancel our plans, and leave just because he didn’t get his way.
One day at school, I was upset with the way he was treating me so I wasn’t talking to him. He kept trying to get my attention and actually began to fondle me right in class. I continued to tell him to leave me alone and stop but he would not. I pushed him away several times and finally he got so mad that he just punched me directly in the face. When he would hit me, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I just thought it was normal boyfriend/girlfriend fighting. If I would have had a program like REDFLAG then, I would have been able to see the warning signs in my relationship and get out. With REDFLAG, I realized I couldn’t fix him but needed to only work on myself. I encourage girls to go through the REDFLAG program and learn the signs of dating abuse so they don’t go through what I did.”
Cait
Today I was thinking about how amazing the class was for me and how it truly shaped my life. I learned so much and I 100% believe it has continued to help me avoid unhealthy relationships. I just want to thank you again for all you’ve done and are doing for those around you.