Tulsan on Dr Phil to talk about domestic abuse among teens

Domestic abuse is all too common and unfortunately, kids sometimes learn early. Teens often abuse other teens, some stats put the number as high as one in four girls. <br/><br/>A 16-year-old Tulsa teen

Tuesday, April 18th 2006, 10:25 am

By: News On 6

Domestic abuse is all too common and unfortunately, kids sometimes learn early. Teens often abuse other teens, some stats put the number as high as one in four girls.

A 16-year-old Tulsa teen will be on the Dr. Phil show Wednesday to tell her story.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg says the teen hopes to help other girls avoid the same problem.

Jenks High School student Anya Alvarez is completely in control on the golf course. Her swing is effortless and full of power. Dating wasn't so easy. "The first abusive relationship, he was in my 2nd hour and I liked him and we went out." She says her boyfriend, who was older, was verbally, emotionally, and then sexually abusive. She got out, but says her 2nd boyfriend was just as bad. "I guess I thought this is how relationships are supposed to be."

It wasn't until she was at a golf tournament out of state and had a chance conversation with a domestic violence volunteer, that she says she realized the behavior was wrong. "When they call you stupid or say that you're fat, they try to control you by saying don't wear this or you can't do that or can't hang out with your friends. You don't really recognize that as abuse at the time."

She says she learned that abusers will look for people they can control. "I was a sophomore at the time of the first boyfriend and he was a senior and the 2nd time I was 15 and he was 21, so there's a lot of room there for control and manipulation."

Anya shares her story with Dr. Phil Wednesday and says she enjoyed the show. "He's a nice guy, he's big, that's one of the things that shocked me was how tall he was."

She's also talked to two high schools and plans on trying to help more teens. "If other opportunities come up, I'll be able to go to other schools and talk to teens and hopefully help them walk through this situation that we sometimes find ourselves in."

Dr Phil airs on the News on 6 at 3 PM.