Women of all ages can learn more about the cycle of harm and emotional red flags at a free workshop this month.

The Women’s Resource Centre will host the virtual event on February 19 in observance of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

A spokeswoman said: “Teen dating violence encompasses more than physical harm, it often includes emotional manipulation, coercive control, pressure and behaviours that undermine a young person’s sense of self, boundaries and safety.

“These early relationship experiences can shape what young people come to normalise and tolerate in adulthood.”

Juanae Crockwell, the WRC executive director said: “If we are serious about reducing domestic abuse and intimate partner violence, we must address the foundations of how young people learn about relationships, boundaries and self-worth.”

The spokeswoman said the workshop, “Love shouldn’t hurt: a parent’s guide to creating emotional safety for teens”, aims to help women “recognise emotional red flags, understand the cycle of harm — teen version, communicate in trauma-informed ways and become a safe space for teens navigating relationships”.

She added that the event, hosted by trauma recovery mentor Leticia Francis, “centres prevention over panic and focuses on equipping women with tools that are practical, accessible and grounded in emotional safety”.

Ms Crockwell added: “Reducing incidents of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence means interrupting cycles and supporting young people to identify healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns long before they enter adult relationships.”

The spokeswoman said: “Research consistently shows that exposure to unhealthy relationship dynamics in adolescence increases the likelihood of experiencing or remaining in abusive relationships later in life.

“By intervening early, communities can disrupt these patterns before they become entrenched.”

Ms Francis, herself a survivor of teen dating violence and domestic abuse, said: “Teen dating violence doesn’t start with bruises — it starts with confusion, silence and blurred boundaries.

“When we give young people and caregivers the language for emotional safety early, we interrupt harm before it becomes a lifelong pattern.”

To register or learn more about the workshop, set to start at 6pm, visit wrcbermuda.com/events/loveshouldnthurt or call 295-3882.