[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 75 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 75

   Designating the month of February 2015, as ``National Teen Dating 
               Violence Awareness and Prevention Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2015

 Mr. Durbin (for Mr. Reid (for himself, and Mr. Whitehouse)) submitted 
 the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Designating the month of February 2015, as ``National Teen Dating 
               Violence Awareness and Prevention Month''.

Whereas although dating violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and 
        stalking affect women regardless of age, teenage girls and young women 
        are especially vulnerable;
Whereas a 2013 survey by the Center for Disease Control found that nearly 10 
        percent of high school students reported physical victimization and 10 
        percent reported sexual victimization from a dating partner in the 12 
        months before they were surveyed;
Whereas according to the Center for Disease Control, nearly 1,500,000 high 
        school students experience physical abuse from a dating partner each 
        year;
Whereas a 1997 Commonwealth Fund survey found that more than \1/4\ of high 
        school girls had been either sexually abused, physically abused, or 
        abused by a date or boyfriend;
Whereas the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that females between the ages of 
        16 and 24 experience intimate partner violence at a rate that is almost 
        triple the national average;
Whereas in 2008, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency reported that 
        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 young people;
Whereas a 2012 study, as part of an independent evaluation of Start Strong: 
        Building Healthy Teen Relationships, an initiative aimed at building 
        healthy relationships among middle school youth, found that teen dating 
        violence behaviors were common even among seventh grade students, with 
        nearly 1 in 6 students reporting physical dating violence;
Whereas according to data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 
        almost 20 percent of teenage girls who were exposed to physical dating 
        violence did not attend school on 1 or more occasions during the 30 days 
        preceding the survey because the girls felt unsafe at school or on the 
        way to or from school;
Whereas schools are unequipped to handle the issue of teen dating violence, as a 
        recent study by Ball State University found that--

    (1) 81 percent of school counselors reported that they did not have a 
school protocol on how to respond to an incident of teen dating violence; 
but

    (2) 61 percent of school counselors reported that they had assisted 
victims of dating-related violence in the past 2 years, despite a lack of 
formal training for some of the counselors;

Whereas a study published in Pediatrics suggests that teen dating violence ``is 
        a substantial public health problem'' because victims of teen dating 
        violence are--

    (1) at increased risk of mood and behavior problems as young adults; 
and

    (2) at increased risk for future violent relationships;

Whereas girls victimized by a teen boyfriend reported more heavy drinking, 
        smoking, depression, and thoughts of suicide, and teens of both sexes 
        who were in aggressive relationships were 2 to 3 times more likely to be 
        in violent relationships as young adults;
Whereas being physically or sexually abused makes teenage 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 the 2009 Parent/Teen Dating Violence Poll by Liz Claiborne 
        Inc., although 82 percent of parents are confident that they could 
        recognize the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse, 58 
        percent of parents could not correctly identify all of the warning signs 
        of abuse;
Whereas 74 percent of teenage boys and 66 percent of teenage girls report that 
        they have not had a conversation with a parent about dating abuse in the 
        past year;
Whereas 1 in 4 teens in a relationship report having been called names, 
        harassed, or put down by a partner through the use of a telephone, 
        including through texting;
Whereas according to the 2010 College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll by Liz 
        Claiborne Inc., 43 percent of college women who date report experiencing 
        abusive dating behaviors;
Whereas 70 percent of college students who experienced relationship abuse failed 
        to realize that they were in an abusive relationship at the time, and 60 
        percent of college students who were in an abusive relationship 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 a pattern of violence was established during 
        adolescence;
Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating 
        violence, and successful examples of these programs include education, 
        community outreach, and social marketing campaigns that are culturally 
        appropriate;
Whereas educating middle school students and the parents of middle school 
        students about the importance of building healthy relationships and 
        preventing teen dating violence is key to deterring dating abuse before 
        it begins;
Whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are necessary for young 
        victims and abusers; and
Whereas the establishment of the month of February 2015, as 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 Senate--
            (1) designates the month of February 2015, as ``National 
        Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month'';
            (2) supports communities that are empowering teenagers to 
        develop healthier relationships throughout their lives; and
            (3) calls upon the people of the United States, including 
        young people, parents, schools, law enforcement officials, 
        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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