[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 535 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 535

  Expressing support for designation of the month of February 2011 as 
   ``National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2012

Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Moore, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Norton, 
Mr. Sablan, and Mr. Conyers) submitted the following resolution; which 
             was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for designation of the month of February 2011 as 
   ``National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month''.

Whereas while dating, domestic, and sexual violence and stalking affect women 
        regardless of age, teens and young women are especially vulnerable;
Whereas according to the recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 
        (CDC) National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence survey, the majority 
        of victimization starts early in life as most rape and intimate partner 
        violence is first experienced before age 24;
Whereas according to Liz Claiborne's 2009 Parent/Teen Dating Violence Poll, 
        approximately 1 in 3 adolescent girls in the United States is a victim 
        of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a rate 
        that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence 
        affecting youth;
Whereas according to the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), 
        nearly 10 percent of high school students have been hit, slapped, or 
        physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past 
        year;
Whereas according to the American Journal of Public Health, more than 1 in 4 
        teenagers have been in a relationship where a partner is verbally 
        abusive;
Whereas according to data from the YRBSS, almost 20 percent of teen girls who 
        were exposed to physical dating violence did not attend school on 1 or 
        more occasions during the past 30 days due to feeling unsafe at school 
        or on the way to or from school;
Whereas violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications for 
        victims, putting them at higher risk for substance abuse, eating 
        disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide, and adult revictimization;
Whereas being physically and sexually abused leaves teen girls up to 6 times 
        more likely to become pregnant and more than twice as likely to contract 
        a sexually transmitted disease;
Whereas according to a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & 
        Adolescent Medicine, more than half of teens and young adults treated at 
        an inner-city emergency room said they had been a victim or perpetrator 
        of dating violence;
Whereas nearly 3 in 4 ``tweens'', individuals who are between the ages of 11 and 
        14, report that dating relationships usually begin at age 14 or younger 
        and about 72 percent of eighth and ninth graders report ``dating'';
Whereas 1 in 5 tweens say that their friends are victims of dating violence, and 
        nearly half of tweens who are in relationships know friends who are 
        verbally abused;
Whereas more than 3 times as many tweens (20 percent) as parents of tweens (6 
        percent) admit that parents know little or nothing about the dating 
        relationships of tweens;
Whereas according to Liz Claiborne Inc.'s 2009 Parent/Teen Dating Violence Poll, 
        although 82 percent of parents are confident that they could recognize 
        the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse, a majority of 
        parents (58 percent) could not correctly identify all the warning signs 
        of abuse;
Whereas 74 percent of teenage boys and 66 percent of teenage girls say that they 
        have not had a conversation with a parent about dating abuse in the past 
        year;
Whereas according to a National Crime Prevention Council survey, 43 percent of 
        middle and high school students reported experiencing cyberbullying in 
        the past year;
Whereas 1 in 4 teens in a relationship say that they have been called names, 
        harassed, or put down by their partner through cellphones and texting;
Whereas 3 in 10 young people have ``sexted'', and 61 percent of young people who 
        have ``sexted'' report being pressured to do so at least once;
Whereas according to Liz Claiborne Inc.'s 2010 College Dating Violence and Abuse 
        Poll, 43 percent of dating college women who date report experiencing 
        violent and abusive dating behaviors;
Whereas 70 percent of college students who were in an abusive relationship 
        failed to realize that they were in an abusive relationship, and 60 
        percent of such students said that no one stepped in to help them;
Whereas the severity of violence among intimate partners has been shown to be 
        greater in cases where the pattern of violence was established in 
        adolescence;
Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating 
        violence, and many successful examples of such programs include 
        education, community outreach, and social marketing campaigns that are 
        culturally appropriate;
Whereas educating middle school students and their parents about the importance 
        of building healthy relationships and preventing teen dating violence is 
        key to deterring abuse before it begins;
Whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are also necessary for 
        youth victims and abusers; and
Whereas the establishment of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and 
        Prevention Month will benefit schools, communities, and families 
        regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or sex: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation ``National Teen Dating 
        Violence Awareness and Prevention Month'';
            (2) supports communities in empowering teens to develop 
        healthier relationships throughout their lives; and
            (3) calls upon the people of the United States, including 
        youth, parents, schools, law enforcement, State and local 
        officials, and interested groups to observe National Teen 
        Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month with appropriate 
        programs and activities that promote awareness and prevention 
        of teen dating violence in their communities.
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