GASTONIA, N.C. -- An alarming new study gives parents of tweens – kids between the ages of 11 and 14 – something new to worry about. It shows that more of these tweens are dating earlier, and that this dating comes with abuse.

Tuesday, dozens marched in a silent protest in Gastonia against domestic violence. They were remembering 39-year-old Tammy Wooten, who was the 46th person killed this year in North Carolina from domestic violence. Police charged her husband with the killing.

“People need to see that domestic violence is a serious issue,” said Cathy Cloninger, Gaston County shelter coordinator. “It's a serious crime and it happens daily."

According to the study, it’s also happening at an earlier age.

"He would push me up against the wall if I tried to walk away,” described one 16-year-old victim. “Then it turned into sexually abusing me. And he told me if I told my parents they wouldn't love me anymore.”

The National Association of Attorney Generals is trying to educate seventh-12th graders about dating violence and abuse. In a survey, 62 percent of respondents say they know friends who were verbally abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Another 36 percent know friends who were pressured to do things they didn’t want to do. And one in five said they know friends who were physically assaulted by their significant other.

'”When I go in to the schools, they all know somebody who has been abused in a dating relationship,” said Beth Bolin, public education specialist. She teaches a program to teenagers about dating violence and abuse. “If you educate them now, maybe they will recognize what a bad relationship is and not get into one at a later time."

North Carolina’s attorney general supports the idea of educating teens and tweens on dating violence and abuse. A program is being created to be offered to each school district to use.