The study, commissioned by Coventry Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Board,found five out of nine young mums aged 16 to 24 had experienced physicalor sexual violence.
The young mothers also said they often felt disempowered in theirrelationships with their partners, parents and extended family.
The researchers said these mothers face barriers to accessing meaningfulsupport, as domestic violence tends to be seen as an adult issue, andtheir problems are compounded by the stigma attached to teenagepregnancy.
A spokeswoman for Barnardo's agreed with the findings. "Barnardo's knowsfrom our work with these young people just how much they often struggleto get the help they need and how they face stigma. If, as this studysuggests, pregnant teenagers are particularly at risk of domesticviolence, then they need extra help to keep themselves and theirchildren safe. All agencies need to redouble their efforts to workclosely together to support these young parents."
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