    [Senate Hearing 112-97]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                                             S. Hrg. 112-97

     PREVENTING TEEN VIOLENCE: STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING TEENS FROM DATING
                             VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                      SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME AND TERRORISM

                                     of the

                           COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
                              UNITED STATES SENATE

                          ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                                  JUNE 3, 2011

                                   __________

                            Pawtucket, Rhode Island

                                   __________

                              Serial No. J-112-25

                                   __________

             Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary

                      U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
    68-183                    WASHINGTON : 2011
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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    Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC
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    20402-0001

                           COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

                      PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont, Chairman
    HERB KOHL, Wisconsin                 CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa
    DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California         ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
    CHUCK SCHUMER, New York              JON KYL, Arizona
    DICK DURBIN, Illinois                JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
    SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island     LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina
    AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             JOHN CORNYN, Texas
    AL FRANKEN, Minnesota                MICHAEL S. LEE, Utah
    CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware       TOM COBURN, Oklahoma
    RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
                Bruce A. Cohen, Chief Counsel and Staff Director
            Kolan Davis, Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director
                                     ------

                      Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism

                   SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island, Chairman
    HERB KOHL, Wisconsin                 JON KYL, Arizona
    DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California         ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
    DICK DURBIN, Illinois                JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama
    AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina
    CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware
                    Stephen Lilley, Democratic Chief Counsel
                   Stephen Higgins, Republican Chief Counsel

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------

                        STATEMENTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

                                                                       Page

    Whitehouse, Sheldon, a U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode
      Island.........................................................     1

                                   WITNESSES

    Burke, Ann, President, Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund, North
      Kingstown, Rhode Island........................................     3
    Debare, Deborah, Executive Director, Rhode Island Coalition
      Against Domestic Violence, Warwick, Rhode Island...............     6
    Reilly, Kate, Director, Start Strong, Sojourner House,
      Providence, Rhode Island.......................................     8
    Zakarin, Ruth, Executive Director, Katie Brown Educational
      Program, Fall River, Massachusetts.............................    10

                           SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD

    Burke, Ann, President, Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund, North
      Kingstown, Rhode Island, statement.............................    21
    Debare, Deborah, Executive Director, Rhode Island Coalition
      Against Domestic Violence, Warwick, Rhode Island, statement....    27
    Reilly, Kate, Director, Start Strong, Sojourner House,
      Providence, Rhode Island, statement............................    38
    Zakarin, Ruth, Executive Director, Katie Brown Educational
      Program, Fall River, Massachusetts, statement..................    41

                     ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD

    Submissions for the record not printed due to voluminous nature,
      previously printed by an agency of the Federal Government, or
      other criteria determined by the Committee:

    Library of Congress, Teen Dating Violence: An Annotated
      Bibliography, Priscilla Offenhauer, Researcher, and Alice
      Buchalter, Project Manager, a Report Prepared by the Federal
      Research Division, Library of Congress under an Interagency
      Agreement with the Violence and Victimization Research
      Division, National Institute of Justice, April 2011

     PREVENTING TEEN VIOLENCE: STRATEGIES FOR PROTECTING TEENS FROM DATING
                             VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

                                  ----------

                              FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2011

                                           U.S. Senate,
                                    Committee on the Judiciary,
                           Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism,
                                                        Washington, DC.
        The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 1:40 p.m.,
    William E. Tolman Senior High School, 150 Exchange Street,
    Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse, Chairman of
    the Subcommittee, presiding.
        Present: Senator Whitehouse.

     OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, A U.S. SENATOR
      FROM THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, CHAIRMAN OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE

        Senator Whitehouse. I want to thank you, Principal Silva.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. And I want to thank the administration
    and the teachers and the students of Tolman High for having us
    here this afternoon.
        We have some significant guests who are with us and I
    wanted to recognize them. I believe that Attorney General
    Kilmartin will be coming, but in the meantime, the Department
    of Attorney General is represented here by the Deputy Attorney
    General, my former deputy when I was attorney general, Jerry
    Coyne. So please welcome Jerry.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. We have Senator Bea Lanzi, who is the
    sponsor of the Lindsay Ann Burke Act, which passed in Rhode
    Island and which we will hear more about during the testimony.
    She is also a member of the State Cyber-Bullying Task Force
    that is run by Senator John Tassoni.
        Representative Eileen Naughton will be joining us. She is
    the House sponsor of the Lindsay Ann Burke Act. She is
    currently working with our State Department of Health on
    children and teen issues, including dating violence.
        Representative Grace Diaz is here, as well. And if you
    could give a hand for our legislative leaders who are here with
    us.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. I am told that the mayor will be here,
    but he is not here at the moment. In the meantime, he is
    represented by our new police chief here in Pawtucket, Paul
    King.
        Chief King, thank you very much for being here.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. And from the school side of things, we
    have my friend, Ray Spooner, the Chairman of the Pawtucket
    School Committee, and, of course, your principal, Fred Silva.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. So this afternoon's field hearing of
    the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and
    Terrorism, which I am the Chairman of, considers a topic that
    is extremely important to Rhode Island families--preventing
    teen violence, strategies for protecting teens from dating
    violence and from bullying.
        For the students in the audience, a hearing, a Senate
    hearing like this is a formal opportunity for Congress to learn
    more about an issue. The testimony of our witnesses today
    becomes part of our Nation's official legislative record and it
    provides valuable guidance to Congress as we work on our
    Nation's laws.
        Today's hearing is an important step towards learning how
    to better protect our Nation's teens from violence.
        Our setting provides a very appropriate forum for studying
    and learning about effective tools to reduce dating violence
    and bullying.
        These are extremely important topics. According to the
    Center for Disease Control, one in 10 teens reports being hit
    or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend at
    least once in the past year.
        Teen violence can take other forms, as well. Each year, one
    in every four adolescents reports verbal, physical, emotional
    or sexual abuse from a dating partner.
        As we will hear from our witnesses and as many in the
    audience know, these are not mere statistics. Every victim is
    someone's child or sibling, someone's friend or classmate.
        There is a close relationship between dating violence and
    bullying. Those who bully their classmates in elementary and
    middle school may be more likely to become violent when they
    enter relationships. What can seem to be simple bullying or
    name-calling early in a relationship can escalate to more
    serious violence, including assault.
        New technologies, such as smart phones and social
    networking sites, also have created new avenues for dating
    violence and bullying. Abusive messages posted on a Website can
    quickly reach a broad audience and be difficult to get rid of.
        Rhode Island has been at the forefront of efforts to
    prevent and respond to teen dating violence. Through the hard
    work of organizations, including the Rhode Island Coalition
    Against Domestic Violence, the Lindsay Ann Burke Foundation,
    the Katie Brown Educational Program, and the Safe Start Program
    at the Sojourner House, as well as the close cooperation of law
    enforcement officers, teachers, parents and community members,
    Rhode Islanders have led the Nation in developing innovative
    programs to promote strong and safe relationships. And Rhode
    Island's Lindsay Ann Burke Act has become a model to other
    states in addressing teen violence.
        We are joined today by a talented and accomplished group of
    leaders from our State who will share their experience and
    wisdom on this important topic.
        I believe this afternoon's hearing will be particularly
    important as Congress turns to reauthorizing the Violence
    Against Women Act later this year. That law has done so much to
    protect victims of violence in Rhode Island and across the
    country. We will also be, I hope, taking up a new education
    bill in the Health Committee, which may provide, also, a
    vehicle for considering legislation in this area.
        I look forward to working with my Republican and Democratic
    colleagues to make sure that Rhode Island's voice is heard as
    Congress works to protect families and prevent teen violence.
        I see that Mayor Grebien has arrived. You were recognized
    earlier before you got here, Don, and the kids all cheered for
    Paul King in your stead. But perhaps if you would stand up,
    they would give you a cheer, as well.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. So, now, one of the things that we do
    in hearings in Congress is we have the witness sworn. You have
    all seen the photographs of witnesses before Congress with
    their hands up being sworn in. And so we will do that here, as
    well. And I will ask the witnesses to stand and raise your
    right hand.
        [Witnesses sworn.]
        Senator Whitehouse. Please be seated. We have some
    wonderful witnesses here and I will introduce each of them as
    they give their testimony, and then we will save the end for
    questions and general discussion.
        Ann Burke is a registered nurse, with a master's degree in
    health education, and a recently retired health teacher who
    taught middle school students in Rhode Island for 25 years.
        After the 2005 murder of her daughter, Lindsay, a victim of
    dating violence, she founded the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial
    Fund, whose mission is to support the prevention of dating and
    domestic violence through education.
        In 2009, we welcomed Ms. Burke to Washington to testify
    before the full Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing on the
    continued importance of the Violence Against Women Act, and it
    is a great privilege to hear from her today.
        Ms. Burke, please proceed.

     STATEMENT OF ANN BURKE, PRESIDENT, LINDSAY ANN BURKE MEMORIAL
                  FUND, NORTH KINGSTOWN, RHODE ISLAND

        Ms. Burke. Chairman Whitehouse, thank you for the
    opportunity to testify today on why Congress needs to
    prioritize teen dating violence prevention in the
    reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
        I speak to you today as a mother, an advocate, and retired
    teacher. It has been almost 6 years since my daughter, Lindsay,
    was brutally tortured and murdered by her ex-boyfriend. We
    cannot change the past, but we can help shape and determine the
    future. And so I am proud that we have created a positive
    legacy in honor of Lindsay.
        In 2007, Rhode Island became the first state to pass a
    comprehensive teen dating violence law. Now, at least 14 states
    have followed the example of the Lindsay Ann Burke Act and
    passed laws to support education on teen dating violence.
        Many times, states pass laws after other parents experience
    my same nightmare. I know many of these parents from across our
    Nation. We have a parent e-mail support group, a group no one
    wants to belong to. And today, I speak for them, as well as
    myself.
        Not only do we live with the tremendous loss of our
    daughters and sons, but we have all been traumatized by this
    horrendous manner in which many of our children were tortured
    and murdered. Suffice it to say that the details of dating
    violence murders are beyond any sense of decency and morality.
        In Rhode Island, the attention given to this subject has
    made a difference. Since the passage of the Lindsay Ann Burke
    Act, physical teen dating violence rates have decreased from 14
    percent in 2007 to 10 percent in 2009. Just as importantly, the
    law created awareness on the severity of the issue among school
    personnel. Now, teachers are more receptive to teaching the
    topic of healthy relationships in health class.
        Beyond the statistics, I'd like to share some real life
    success stories. One of my former students wrote me a two-page
    letter about the abusive relationship she found herself in. The
    last paragraph reads: ``So I wrote this letter because I'll
    always wonder how long my initial relationship with that boy
    would have lasted if I hadn't had your voice in my head warning
    me to get out quickly. I think that if you had never taught me
    all of the warning signs of an abusive relationship, I would
    have strived to be a better girlfriend and I would have let him
    control me, because I wouldn't have known any better. I had
    never had a real boyfriend before. So how would I know the
    difference? Anything could have happened last year. Thank you
    for teaching me those lessons.''
        Another health teacher received a letter from a former
    student, who wrote: ``Last year in health class we learned
    about healthy relationships. I listened. I'm glad I did,
    because over the summer, I realized that my boyfriend was
    starting to become abusive. He would call me 30 times a day,
    leaving me voice mails of him screaming at the top of his
    lungs.
        One day I couldn't hang out and he punched a wall and
    threatened to do the same to me. If I hadn't taken your health
    class, I would definitely still be with him.
        So thank you for teaching us about relationships. It really
    does matter. People don't think it happens in our school. It
    does.''
        And yet another health teacher told me that after he
    finished teaching his unit on dating violence, one student
    walked up to him after class, pulled up her shirt sleeve,
    exposing several bruises, and said, ``This is what my boyfriend
    did to me.''
        There is no silver bullet, single message, intervention or
    campaign that has been demonstrated to prevent teen dating
    violence. Success will require a comprehensive approach. But on
    a positive note, we know that prevention works.
        Prevention research tells us we need to support education
    programs starting in middle school that do not simply talk
    about the warning signs of dating abuse, but initiate
    conversations about healthy relationships. We need to educate
    and engage those who influence teens, including parents,
    teachers, coaches, older youth and others.
        We need to meet youth where they are in person, but just as
    importantly, online through social marketing campaigns and
    tools, and policies need to be adopted to support this
    programming.
        Why is teen dating violence prevention an issue for the
    Violence Against Women Act and this committee? Last year, as a
    country, we spent more than $400 million for the Department of
    Justice VAWA programs to combat the serious crimes of domestic
    violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. We need
    to invest in preventing teen dating violence to stop these
    adult crimes.
        As a mother, I can still remember the deep pain in my heart
    5 years ago when I first learned that dating violence is a
    preventable health problem.
        My hope is that the reauthorization of the Violence Against
    Women Act continues to support and expand services for teen
    victims, but also include the focus on the prevention and early
    intervention of teen dating violence.
        By involving the whole community, we will recognize that
    teen violence is a real and serious issue that can be
    prevented.
        And I'd like to share with you, Senator, an e-mail I
    received just yesterday which I think is most appropriate in
    supporting our prevention efforts.
        It reads: ``Mrs. Burke, on behalf of the West Warwick
    Public School Department, as well as personally, I want to
    thank you and commend you for your continued work in the battle
    against teen dating violence.
        Unfortunately, we find ourselves talking to our students
    much more about this than we would like to. However, the work
    you've done and the resources you provide have been powerful in
    sending the message to our students about what dating violence
    is, that it's not OK, and how to get help.
        We have many success stories of students getting out of
    destructive relationships, and I can honestly say your work
    played an integral part. Thank you again. Karen Tarasevich,
    Principal, West Warwick High School.''
        [Applause.]
        [The prepared testimony of Ms. Burke appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Senator Whitehouse. Thank you, Ann.
        It is really extraordinary what you have accomplished. You
    took the worst nightmare that every parent dreads more than
    anything else and you turned the terrible energy of that into
    such a powerful force for good. And as we have said already,
    the leadership that you have shown is now being echoed around
    the country in many, many other states and we look forward to
    working with you on this.
        But I just wanted to add a particular word of how immensely
    proud I am of what you have accomplished out of this tragedy.
        Ms. Burke. Thank you, Senator. I appreciate that.
        Senator Whitehouse. Our next witness is Deborah DeBare, who
    I have worked with for many, many years as the executive
    director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic
    Violence.
        Previously, Ms. DeBare served for 5 years as the executive
    director of the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South
    County, and she was the policy and information associate for
    the Rhode Island Division of Mental Health and Community
    Services.
        She received her master's degree from the Heller School at
    Brandeis University and a BA from Brown University. And it is a
    pleasure to have her testimony today.
        Please, Deb, proceed.

     STATEMENT OF DEBORAH DEBARE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RHODE ISLAND
       COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WARWICK, RHODE ISLAND

        Ms. DeBare. Thank you. Chairman Whitehouse, thank you very
    much for the opportunity to discuss the prevalence of dating
    violence and domestic abuse with you today.
        Recognizing the extent of the problem is the first step in
    preventing future abuse. The Rhode Island Coalition Against
    Domestic Violence is a statewide association of six member
    agencies and a task force of survivors, SOAR, dedicated to
    ending domestic violence in our state.
        As executive director of the coalition, I'm here today to
    discuss the extent of domestic violence and dating violence,
    its impact on children and youth, and the critical importance
    of primary prevention programming.
        In the United States, the crisis of domestic violence has
    reached epidemic proportions. Families from all income
    brackets, educational levels, and racial and ethnic origins
    feel its effects. On average, more than three women a day are
    murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States,
    and women experience over two million injuries from intimate
    partner violence every year.
        Rhode Island is no exception to the national norm. In 2010,
    Rhode Island's six domestic violence agencies provided a
    comprehensive array of services to over 10,400 victims of
    domestic violence and responded to over 15,000 crisis calls.
        The impact of domestic violence on children who witness
    abuse has only recently been recognized. Growing up in a
    violent home can affect every aspect of a child's life, growth
    and development, and lead to higher risks of repeating the
    cycle of abuse.
        In spite of this, we know that when properly identified and
    addressed, the effects of domestic violence on children can be
    greatly mitigated.
        Teen dating violence is also more prevalent in the United
    States than people realize. Approximately one in three
    adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical,
    emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure which
    far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence
    affecting youth.
        In Rhode Island, an estimated 11 percent of high school
    students stay that they have been hit, slapped, or otherwise
    hurt physically by a girlfriend or boyfriend on purpose. Ten
    percent of Rhode Island high school students say that they have
    been forced to have sex when they did not want to, compared to
    8 percent nationally.
        The domestic violence movement has spent the past 30 years
    building up its defensive line, you could say, in the struggle
    to end violence against women. We have scored a lot of points
    and won a lot of games through the passage of the Violence
    Against Women Act, mandatory arrest laws, and the development
    of safe homes and support services.
        But in order to win that championship game, we need to
    build our offensive line, as well. We need to engage
    communities in primary prevention.
        Rhode Island has been a leader in the prevention of
    domestic violence and dating violence, as we have put resources
    into working to change public attitudes about the issue for
    over 10 years.
        Our very first public awareness campaign focused on
    bystanders, urging people to change their attitude about
    domestic violence, to stop thinking about it as a private
    matter. Since then, we've been fortunate to have been one of
    the first 14 states funded through the Centers for Disease
    Control, through the DELTA program, to develop a statewide
    prevention plan for domestic violence.
        The Violence Against Women Act has unquestionably improved
    the national response to domestic and sexual violence. Since
    VAWA passed in 1994, states have passed more than 660 laws to
    combat domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and
    stalking. However, in addition to saving and rebuilding lives,
    VAWA has actually saved taxpayers $14.8 million in net averted
    social costs in the first 6 years alone.
        VAWA was not only the right thing to do, it has also proven
    to be fiscally sound legislation. Due to the overwhelming
    success of VAWA-funded programs, more and more victims are
    coming forward for help each year. However, this driving demand
    for services without a concurrent increase in funding means
    that many desperate victims are turned away from live-saving
    services. In just 1 day, there were over 9,000 requests for
    service unable to be met by domestic violence agencies around
    the country.
        The Violence Against Women Act is working, but the job is
    not done. Although VAWA has done much to create systems that
    help victims and survivors, much more is needed. We must
    strengthen VAWA so that it can work for all victims of domestic
    and sexual violence. Whether they live in rural or urban areas,
    whether they are children or elderly victims, whether they
    speak English or another language, every victim deserves a
    chance to live a peace-filled life.
        Congress has a unique opportunity to make a difference in
    the lives of so many by reauthorizing the Violence Against
    Women Act in 2011 with key and (inaudible) improvements.
        Thank you, Senator Whitehouse, for all you have done, for
    your leadership, and for all I know you will continue to do to
    help victims of domestic and dating violence. And, again, thank
    you very much for the opportunity to share some comments with
    you.
        [Applause.]
        [The prepared testimony of Ms. DeBare appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Senator Whitehouse. Thank you, Deb. And thank you for your
    many years of dedicated work in this area.
        Our next witness is Kate Reilly. Kate directs Start Strong
    Rhode Island, a program based at the Sojourner House in
    Providence, which aims to curb the epidemic of teen dating and
    digital abuse.
        At Start Strong, Ms. Reilly is leading the development of a
    videogame and a social networking site that will help teens
    learn about the difference between healthy and unhealthy
    relationships.
        Ms. Reilly has a master's degree in epidemiology from the
    Boston University School of Public Health and a bachelor's
    degree from New College of Florida.
        We welcome her for her testimony. Please proceed.

      STATEMENT OF KATE REILLY, DIRECTOR, START STRONG, SOJOURNER
                    HOUSE, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

        Ms. Reilly. Thank you, Chairman Whitehouse, for the
    invitation to testify on a program aimed at preventing teen
    dating violence. It is Start Strong, building healthy teen
    relationships.
        I direct that program, and it's a partnership led by
    Sojourner House, one of six domestic violence member agencies
    of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. We
    partner with Young Voices to develop and implement innovative
    approaches to prevent teen dating violence.
        Six months ago, Start Strong Rhode Island invited young
    people to share their relationships, in 140 characters or less,
    on our interactive Website, called hookupwithrespect.com. We
    thought that we might get a few dozen entries from kids, but by
    the end of the month, we had hundreds of stories from kids all
    over the country like these: ``I go out with an amazing guy. He
    cheated on me twice. I can't break up with him. Every time I
    get angry, he yells at me and calls me insane. Signed, I love
    him,'' 14-years-old, Providence.
        This one: ``I was in an abusive relationship and I left.
    Now, he's begging me to come back. He's buying me all the good
    things and doing sweet stuff. I don't want to go back, but I do
    miss him. Signed, Annie W.,'' 16-years-old, Providence.
        The stories submitted to our site, in addition to the
    dozens of interviews and conversations with hundreds of
    students in classrooms, shows that young people in Rhode Island
    know what's unhealthy and they see these negative (inaudible)
    and they want to talk about the issues.
        But these stories show that young people everywhere need to
    learn how to build healthy relationships. When young people
    learn and embrace healthy relationship skills, they can prevent
    teen dating violence and future adult domestic violence or
    sexual violence, as well as bullying, unintended teen
    pregnancy, and alcohol and substance abuse.
        So how do we make that happen? How can Congress partner
    with advocates and educators to create ways to help young
    people build healthy relationships?
        What do we know about what works? Well, first, we need
    Congressional support for comprehensive programs. We need
    products that bring our message of non-violence into places
    that youth are living and playing, school, home, after school,
    sports fields, and, also, in the connected world of smart
    phones and Facebook.
        Start Strong Rhode Island brings comprehensive and engaging
    prevention strategies to our school and community through a few
    key strategies. We're using the Fourth R, an evidence-based
    healthy relationships curriculum and have reached over 600 7th-
    and 8th-graders since October 2009.
        The social and emotional learning curriculum integrates
    interactive storytelling, multimedia, and performance. But
    we're also reaching out to parents with a program called
    Passport to Social Media, which helps parents prevent abuse in
    a digital world, so that they can work at home to keep their
    kids safe.
        Second, we need Congressional--we need Congress to
    recognize the importance of authentic youth-adult partnerships
    in this work. That means that we need to involve groups like
    Young Voices who work with young people and teach them how to
    understand laws so that they can advocate for policy change.
        Finally, we need Congressional support for this
    conversation being on the social Web, Facebook, Twitter, and,
    also, videogames. At Start Strong Rhode Island, we're investing
    a significant amount of money in the social media tools,
    because we know that social and electronic media are no longer
    a pastime. A recent poll from the Pew Center of American Life
    shows that half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day.
    That's 1,500 texts a month.
        In another study from the Pew Center, 90 percent of
    teenagers classify themselves as gamers. That's also why we are
    going to, in October of 2011, release a videogame that will be
    the first immersive video game to support the teaching and
    learning of positive, protective relationship-building.
        We're leveraging the power of gaming to create an engaging
    virtual teen dating violence prevention curriculum that kids
    will be able to access anytime, anywhere they have access to
    the Internet.
        Yes, we need to be aware of the risks of these
    technologies, such as cyber-bullying and sexting, but we need
    to utilize them as opportunities. Social media and mobile
    technologies can be used to promote prevention and responsible
    bystander behavior.
        Any effort to stop teen dating violence must help youth
    learn to use these technologies responsibly and help them--and
    use them to disseminate prevention methods.
        Each of the 11 Start Strong communities across the country
    have innovative strategies for schools to change policies, use
    social media, and reach parents and older influencers to be a
    part of this prevention work.
        I urge you to look at these models by going to
    startstrongteens.org.
        In closing, to reach and engage youth, it's not enough to
    teach prevention in the classroom. Advocates, parents and youth
    leaders need to meet kids where they are and help them achieve
    healthy relationships on and offline.
        [The prepared testimony of Ms. Reilly appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Senator Whitehouse. Thank you very much, Kate.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. Thank you for your leadership in
    bringing this message (inaudible). It is critically important.
        Our final witness is Ruth Zakarin. Ruth is the executive
    director of the Katie Brown Educational Program, a relationship
    violence prevention program serving Rhode Island and southern
    Massachusetts.
        Previously, Ms. Zakarin managed a program and provided
    services for victims of domestic violence and their children in
    a variety of settings, including hospitals, shelters, and
    community-based programs.
        She holds a master's degree in social work from the
    University of Pennsylvania.
        Thank you very much for your testimony.

      STATEMENT OF RUTH ZAKARIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KATIE BROWN
             EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS

        Ms. Zakarin. First, I want to thank Chairman Whitehouse for
    hosting this hearing, and all of you for being in attendance.
        I am privileged to provide information about our program as
    a way of highlighting the importance and role of educational
    programs in preventing and eventually ending teen date
    violence.
        The Katie Brown Educational Program is a relationship
    violence prevention program. We work with students from 6th
    grade through high school, teaching information they need to be
    healthy and safe in all of their relationships.
        Since our inception in 2001, we have reached over 47,000
    individuals with our program. Our curriculum addresses a range
    of topics, including conflict resolution, managing anger
    without violence, recognizing the signs of an abusive
    relationship, standing up for your own rights, while also
    respecting the rights of others.
        We also teach about the different kinds of violence found
    in a relationship--physical, emotional, verbal, financial, and
    sexual violence. It is our belief that proactive education is
    at the core of preventing violence.
        This education cannot wait until high school when students
    are already involved in dating relationships and have formed
    many of their attitudes about how relationships should work. It
    is never too early to start teaching young people about how to
    have a healthy relationship.
        This kind of education provided early and often is
    extremely effective in reducing relationship violence. This
    belief has been reinforced by a 2007 study from the CDC on the
    effectiveness of universal school-based programs on the
    prevention of violence and reckless behavior.
        This report included bullying and dating violence
    prevention programs that met certain criteria, and found that
    for every $1 spent on prevention, over $3 were saved in health
    care and criminal justice costs per youth.
        At the Katie Brown Educational Program, we see the impact
    of such programming every time we enter a classroom to teach.
    All of the students who receive our curriculum complete three
    important tests. These three important tests measure changes in
    beliefs and attitudes about violence in relationships from
    bullying and healthy friendships in younger grades to dating
    violence in older grades.
        For example, in the 2009-2010 school year, 92 percent of
    participating 5th-graders believed in the following statement--
    I feel like I can now stick up for myself without hurting
    anyone--at the completion of our program. Ninety-four percent
    of 7th-graders identified at least one part of their own
    behavior that they need to change to be more respectful in
    their relationships.
        Ninety-one percent of 8th-graders said they were willing to
    change their stereotypical ideas to be more tolerant and
    accepting of others. And 93 percent of high school students
    stated that they were more aware of the warning signs of an
    unhealthy or abusive relationship.
        These responses show us that when we talk to young people
    about violence in relationships, they listen. It is imperative
    that we give youth the opportunity to explore their own
    attitudes and beliefs about relationships. We have to teach
    young people what it means to be respectful to peers and,
    eventually, to dating partners.
        We must work with you to change social norms and create a
    culture where violence is not tolerated and where abusing a
    partner or peer is simply not acceptable.
        On April 4, 2011, Vice President Joe Biden spoke at the
    University of New Hampshire about the responsibility of
    colleges and universities to prevent sexual violence on campus.
    In his remarks, Vice President Biden spoke passionately about
    not just responding to victims, but working to prevent such
    violence so that there are no more victims.
        I would like to end with something the Vice President
    shared during his speech. Really, changing attitudes is what we
    need to do the most. Folks, if we are going to end violence,
    not reduce, but end it, we are going to have to change
    attitudes. That is the core of the problem.
        Again, I would like to thank Chairman Whitehouse for
    working in partnership with us to ensure that the necessary
    support and resources are available for the prevention of teen
    date violence.
        [The prepared testimony of Ruth Zakarin appears as a
    submission for the record.]
        Senator Whitehouse. Thank you very much.
        [Applause.]
        Senator Whitehouse. So let me ask each of you, first, for
    some recommendations. We in Congress will be, I hope soon,
    reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act in the Judiciary
    Committee. I hope we will also be taking up fairly soon the new
    education bill in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
    Committee.
        Obviously, the education-related bill would have to be
    fairly school-based in order to stay within the jurisdiction of
    that committee. But between the two of them, the VAWA
    jurisdiction and the ESEA jurisdiction, it should cover this
    area pretty broadly.
        What are the key program additions that each of you would
    recommend?
        And let me add that the record of this hearing will stay
    open for a week after the conclusion of the hearing and
    anything additional that you or anyone else may wish to file
    will be added to the record of the hearing.
        So you do not have to give me a perfect and complete answer
    right now, because later on I want a more comprehensive answer
    than time permits. (Inaudible.]
        Let me hear your thoughts on what you think are the most
    important areas we should be sure to invest our (inaudible).
        Ms. Burke. On the ESEA, I believe what we will submit are
    language changes and there will be (inaudible) school programs,
    to include language for teen dating violence, preventing teen
    dating violence. And there is no doubt that funding from that
    department can specifically apply to teen dating violence
    programs, as well.
        Second, with VAWA, we are recommending--and we will
    definitely put our written proposal in the--include it in the
    record for you--but we support what the Obama Administration is
    doing as far as having an umbrella over all the programs that
    are now in there, like the Aging Men program, the step program
    which offers some funding for school-based programs, creating
    policy.
        We do support a comprehensive approach, but we very
    specifically recommend the emphasis on prevention. Prevention
    must be included in that. Right now, there is no funding for
    prevention included.
        We just need the resources to work on prevention. Community
    agencies are part of that solution. They need resources to work
    with the schools on prevention so that we can have a
    comprehensive approach.
        We can't ignore the relationship between the community
    resources, the schools, the parents, the coaches. It's going to
    take everyone. It takes a village to raise a child. It's going
    to take a village to solve this problem.
        So the emphasis primarily on prevention within that
    comprehensive package in VAWA.
        Senator Whitehouse. And, Deb, what would you recommend?
        Ms. DeBare. I could go on for another half-hour about this
    because the Violence Against Women Act is so lengthy and
    comprehensive. But for the record here, what I would like to
    say is, in particular, in Title 3, which is the services and
    prevention for younger victims of violence elements, those are
    the sections we are going to be submitting in writing, the
    areas that we would like to see some additional language to
    ensure that prevention are eligible activities and that the
    focus can be in prevention. The Keeping Our Campuses Safe Act,
    for example, right now, those grant programs fund services and
    intervention. We want to make sure that prevention activities
    can be included there. And we want to make sure that all the
    prevention and protection programs are working, as Ann said, in
    a consolidated way and not duplicating efforts.
        Now, I would be remiss, also, if I didn't mention Title 1
    of the Violence Against Women Act, because the judicial and law
    enforcement tools, while they are most traditionally thought of
    as intervention strategies, are hand-in-hand, part-and-parcel
    with prevention.
        It has been proven that strong prosecutions results can
    deter and prevent future situations of domestic violence from
    occurring. So we have a number of recommendations that would
    strengthen Title 1, with the judicial and law enforcement
    tools, as well.
        Senator Whitehouse. Kate, what would be your first
    recommendations to us?
        Ms. Reilly. I would join Ann and Deb in supporting the
    consolidation of the VAWA violence prevention programs. I also
    am very much in support of comprehensive programs, and I think
    that we have a particular opportunity to expand comprehensive
    prevention in VAWA.
        I think that it's important to make sure that prevention
    programs leverage social networking, digital communication, and
    gaming are included and encouraged in those RFPs. And I would
    also encourage to include--to be as comprehensive as you
    possibly can in the ESEA language, and, in addition to the very
    important piece of classroom education, also include prevention
    activities that reach out to parents from the school, and
    engage the school in reaching those parents.
        Senator Whitehouse. And, Ruth.
        Ms. Zakarin. I certainly want to echo all the words of my
    colleagues and, also, add a piece about curricular standards so
    that schools are given some guidance about expectations for the
    inclusion of prevention curricula throughout the students'
    engagement in school.
        Senator Whitehouse. Where would you suggest those be
    developed or approved?
        Ms. Zakarin. I think that there is room for them in either
    VAWA or in school-based legislation. And I also would recommend
    that that legislation include language not just about what we
    want to prevent, but, also, what we want to encourage so that
    there is very clear and strong language about teaching the
    young people the skills they need to have healthy
    relationships; so not just what they shouldn't be doing in
    relationships, but what a healthy relationship should look
    like.
        Senator Whitehouse. Tell me when you think we should start
    focusing on this issue in terms of the ages of the kids who
    begin to get involved. I have been very involved in middle
    school legislation.
        President Obama, when he was in the Senate, had a bill that
    he supported called Success in the Middle. That has now become
    my legislation in the Health Committee, and that could provide
    a vehicle. And I just wanted to hear from you on whether that
    is too soon, not soon enough, about right in terms of when we
    need to engage with kids on this issue.
        Ms. DeBare. I don't think it's ever too soon to start
    discussing and working with children and youth at this. For
    example, even in working with preschool children who are
    experiencing and witnessing domestic violence in their home,
    early intervention with children at that age can dramatically
    reduce the risk of repeat cycles of abuse.
        And so I think it's misleading to think that if we just
    start in middle school to address the problem, that we will
    have taken care of it. There are definitely different
    interventions and strategies for working with developmentally
    aged children, but there are programs that are out there that
    are geared toward elementary school children, working on
    conflict resolution and starting to build those resiliency
    skills for children who already are at risk.
        Senator Whitehouse. Before they get into a relationship,
    the skills are laid down.
        Ms. DeBare. Absolutely.
        Ms. Zakarin. I would also add that I know that we are
    talking about this in terms of teen dating violence, but if we
    look at teen dating violence as one component of relationship
    violence as a whole and we look at that as a continuum, I think
    it becomes clear that we can start talking to children about
    what it means to have a healthy relationship and prevent
    violence in their peer relationships, their relationships with
    others, and, eventually, in dating relationships, and that can
    start very early on.
        So I would agree with Deb that it's never too early to talk
    to a child about what it means to have a healthy relationship
    and what the definition of respect is.
        Senator Whitehouse. Tell me a little bit more about the
    problem of children who witness violence. We worked on this
    together, Deb, when I was attorney general. What are the latest
    findings on this?
        Ms. DeBare. Well, as the years have gone on, there's more
    research out which, unfortunately, shows that there are
    significant behavioral and emotional factors that are impacted
    in children when they witness domestic violence in the home.
        We used to think that witnessing domestic violence meant
    that the children were present in the room when the violence
    occurred, but we've seen an impact shown when children are in
    the household. They may be in a different room and hear the
    abuse going on and the impact is as heightened for them as if
    they were in the same room.
        And so we need to look at the family as a whole unit in
    that sense and realize that it's not just the two parties that
    are in the assaultive situation that are impacted.
        Senator Whitehouse. And what is the effect that has been
    shown to take place with children who are witnesses to domestic
    violence, whether immediately or several rooms away, just
    hearing it?
        Ms. DeBare. Statistically, girls who witness domestic
    violence are at higher risk for growing up to experience dating
    violence or domestic violence as adults. Boys are at a higher
    risk for repeating the patterns of the abusive behavior. And
    both boys and girls are at risk of having emotional problems,
    behavioral problems in school, suicide ideation, psychological
    issues that present, mental health issues.
        So there's a whole host of problems that have not even be
    identified as having been caused or triggered by witnessing
    domestic abuse. However, as I said earlier, with early
    intervention, these effects can dramatically be mitigated.
        Senator Whitehouse. Kate, tell me a little bit more about
    the way in which the new social media technologies both enable
    abusive and bullying behavior and, also, enable communication
    that can help address those concerns.
        How prevalent is it, for instance, for you to see that the
    experience of violence or bullying that is brought to your
    attention has a connection to social networking sites and
    communications across social networks?
        Ms. Reilly. We definitely need more research about cyber-
    bullying and digital abuse. But to give you an idea, when I go
    into a classroom of 30 kids and we start talking about digital
    abuse, sexting, constant text messaging, digital disrespect,
    there are few kids in the classroom who don't have a personal
    story to tell about that.
        There are some dynamics of connected culture that make
    bullying more dangerous and more prevalent. No. 1, it's
    sharing. So before, you would have a message or maybe a fight
    between two people, that would have been just contained to that
    relationship. Now, that's something that can spread to
    hundreds, even thousands of people in less than a second.
        You also have the audience effect. Conflicts can arise
    exponentially when you have hundreds or thousands of people
    looking in on it. And, third, you have what we call the
    invisible wall.
        Sometimes people get a dose of cyber confidence because
    they can't see who they're talking to, and people say and do
    things to each other that they would never do in real life.
        So those three dynamics take normal bullying, the same
    routes, in real life and just enhances it and makes it more
    pervasive.
        What I love about the social Web, though, in terms of doing
    the organizing and prevention work is that it allows you to
    pull everybody's stories about a topic and share that. So a lot
    of what we do at Hookup With Respect and with our video game is
    actually creating the tools that allow people to tell their own
    stories. And so we can bring the voices of thousands of kids
    together at once.
        Senator Whitehouse. I am warned that the bell is going to
    ring in about a minute and that that will create a certain
    amount of turmoil as the bell rings and people come and go.
        So what I think I will do is just briefly adjourn the
    hearing to allow that disruption to proceed, and then we will
    come back into session briefly. And although it is not in order
    for members of the audience to ask questions at a Subcommittee
    hearing, I do not think that there is anything that prevents me
    from listening to the questions and relating them to the panel.
        So I may take a question or two from the audience and pass
    it on to the two of you to help engage the discussion, and then
    we will conclude the hearing after that.
        So we will be adjourned for a few minutes until the bell
    has rung.
        [Whereupon, at 2:30 p.m., the hearing was recessed and
    resumed back on the record at 2:42 p.m.]
        AFTER RECESS
        Senator Whitehouse. The hearing will return to order. And
    what I think I will do is see if there is a question or two in
    the audience that I can relate to the panel so that we have a
    little bit of audience participation here. And I also wanted to
    give Ruth a chance to tell a little bit the story of Katie
    Brown and how the Katie Brown Education Project came into
    being, because it has made a really significant difference,
    but, unfortunately, it started in sorrow, as well.
        If you could explain the background.
        Ms. Zakarin. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do
    so.
        Our program is named after a young woman named Katie Brown.
    She was a 20-year-old woman from Barrington, and she was
    murdered in January of 2001 by her dating partner. And in the
    aftermath of her death, friends of the Browns came together
    with a domestic violence direct service provider in Fall River
    to start a conversation about what could be done to prevent the
    same fate from happening to any other young person. And from
    there our program was born.
        And at its origins, we started sending folks into area
    schools to talk--start talking to young people about healthy
    relationships, and our curriculum developed from there and we
    now, as I mentioned before, have a curriculum for 5th grade
    through high school and we teach in schools throughout
    southeastern Massachussetts and Rhode Island.
        And our staff is now at its largest with four educators who
    are in area schools pretty much every week of the school year,
    again, with the idea that we want to give young people the
    skills and information that they need to recognize and prevent
    violence so that there are no more victims.
        Senator Whitehouse. I want to give a few other people a
    voice in this hearing, as well, because I hear from Rhode
    Islanders through letters and e-mail all the time on a wide
    variety of topics and a number of them have written letters to
    me about bullying, and I just want to share a few of those
    thoughts.
        One comes from a parent--these are from parents--in East
    Providence. A child at her son's school had committed suicide
    due to bullying and her son came to her to try to understand
    what had happened. And she and her husband talked to her son,
    but she was still anxious and concerned and she really didn't
    have a good answer.
        So she wrote to me this: ``When will this bullying come to
    an end? What is it that we have to do to get the point across
    that this is not acceptable and it will not be tolerated? It
    breaks my heart as a parent to know that a life is now gone,
    children are heartsick, and, God forbid, the reality of it all
    is that it could be your own child, and now I send my child off
    to school pondering and hoping that this never happens to my
    child.''
        Another parent wrote: ``My son is''--the first was from
    Jennifer in East Providence, Rhode Island. This is Beth writing
    in from Wakefield, Rhode Island. ``My son is in the 7th grade.
    He is athletic and no outward appearances make him look like a
    target for bullying. Yet, he is harassed daily. His grades have
    gone from good to failing. He cannot even concentrate. He has
    been assaulted and he can't hit them back or he will be
    suspended. Something needs to be done. Our children are not
    safe in school.''
        And the last one I will read is from J. in Bristol County.
    She said her daughter was being bullied because of the way she
    dressed. A group of girls constantly were on her to the point
    her school work failed and she feared going to school. The
    problem ultimately escalated to physical violence.
        She wrote: ``One day my daughter was beaten by one of the
    girls and I was called to the police station. The offending
    child was suspended briefly, but the girl's friends continue to
    taunt my daughter with name-calling and threats.''
        Eventually, she home-schooled her daughter and the daughter
    is now successfully in college.
        But I wanted to put into the record of this hearing the
    extent to which I think this touches all of our lives, and I
    hear so often from parents about this.
        Now, before we wrap up the hearing, I did say I would give
    people a chance. So if anybody has a question they would like
    to ask, I will happily repeat it to the panel.
        Yes, sir? Good afternoon.
        Question from the Audience. [Off microphone.] My son was a
    victim of gang violence. [Off microphone.] Despite all the
    damage done to his head and his face, it was over $10,000, they
    all walked. So this young lady was talking about stronger
    prosecutions.
        We need people in the attorney general's office--because I
    know Sheldon was big on doing--he did a lot to stop it.
        Well, the violence that is happening to these young people,
    the courts are allowing it, our attorney generals are allowing
    it. And it isn't just Rhode Island. It is happening across the
    country.
        So we need stronger prosecutions. [Off microphone] talking
    to the state police about the situation, one of the things I
    said to him, because they were involved in some of the internal
    affairs aspects, I said to him, I said, ``You've got to love
    the people and you've got to start--we've got to start
    prosecuting the criminals.''
        I do thank you for your time, and have a great day.
        Senator Whitehouse. Thank you. I think we all heard the
    question. Would anybody care to respond?
        Ms. Burke. I think I would just like to say that having
    been thrust into the judicial system several years ago, what I
    very quickly learned was that victims have far few many rights
    and criminals have far too many rights.
        I don't know specifically which laws need to be changed or
    amended, but I do think we need stronger laws. I do understand,
    though, being an educator, that with youth crime, you would
    like to think that we should give those offending youth a
    chance to rehabilitate themselves, to change.
        I was just talking with Deb, in fact, in terms of dating
    violence. I've heard from several superintendents and
    principals asking the question: So if we have an episode of
    dating violence on school grounds, according to our policy, we
    can discipline the abusive partner, but what do we do to re-
    educate them, to help to turn them around?
        And as an educator--and this is very difficult for me, with
    a daughter that's been murdered. It's hard for me to look at it
    from the viewpoint of the abusive partner. But I do--I try to
    be as objective as possible and I do believe in my heart that
    when you're talking about a youthful offender, that we have to,
    as a society, give them a chance to rehabilitate themselves,
    hopefully through some sort of an educational program.
        However, I do believe that each of them have to be held
    accountable for their actions. So I think that the re-education
    and the rehabilitation has to be on top of the discipline or
    being held accountable according to the law.
        I don't know the specifics of your case, but I do believe
    that far too often, we're a little bit too soft with criminals,
    regretfully.
        Senator Whitehouse. Let me ask an additional question.
    Violence within a relationship often has different motivations
    and different triggers than violence in other circumstances.
        Are there programs that are particularly effective at
    dealing with the offenders and giving them the chance to
    rehabilitate themselves and to learn how to avoid traveling
    that path again that are particularly effective in the
    relationship violence context?
        Ms. DeBare. Well, to answer that, what I would say is that
    domestic violence and dating violence situations are primarily
    crimes driven by motivation of power and control. And so as
    learned behaviors, there are psychosocial programs that have
    been developed over the past 15-20 years in a group setting
    that are, at this point, the most effective that research has
    seen.
        Now, I'm not going to sit here and say that they are
    effective or a cure, but there is some research that is
    encouraging that for individuals who are motivated, that the
    behaviors can change.
        For the most part, though, to recognize that domestic and
    dating violence is societally learned behavior--and so that as
    a society, if we can change those norms and, in that way, hold
    our own selves accountable, we have a much greater likelihood
    of reducing domestic and dating violence.
        Senator Whitehouse. And how long is the pull of childhood
    exposure to violence in adult behavior? You said that it was
    statistically significant, but how significant?
        Ms. DeBare. Children who are exposed to domestic violence
    are often six times more likely than children who are not
    exposed to domestic violence to have symptoms or behavior
    problems or repeat the cycle.
        So while that is a high risk factor, it is not a direct
    causal factor, and that's where the research is quite--there's
    a large continuum about how large of a risk factor that really
    is.
        Early interventions, as I said before, have been proven to
    take that risk factor and dramatically cut it down. So just
    because someone grows up in a home where there is abuse going
    on does not mean that they are automatically going to grow up
    to be abusive.
        Senator Whitehouse. And let me ask one more question about
    the relationship. We have two topics today. One is bullying and
    cyber-bulling, and the other is relationship violence, domestic
    violence.
        What is the connection between the two? How would you
    describe it?
        Ms. Zakarin. Well, I think there is a strong connection and
    it's part of the reason why I use and our program uses the
    words ``relationship violence,'' because that encompasses
    violence in a peer relationship or bullying, cyber violence,
    dating violence. And what has been found is that there are so
    many similarities between the violence that happens among
    peers; also, very often, about power and control, having a lot
    of the same effects on health and well being, on academic
    success, as dating violence.
        So there is a tremendous amount of overlap, which is why I
    think it's good to get away from putting dating violence and
    bullying in different silos and seeing them as a continuum of
    behaviors that all relate to relationship violence.
        And I will probably sound like a broken record, but the
    more that we can do to teach kids about what a healthy
    relationship looks like, wherever, at school, at home, with a
    dating partner, the more we will see a reduction in such
    issues.
        Senator Whitehouse. And that would be equally true whether
    the bullying was simply verbal versus physical. It connects
    nonetheless.
        Ms. Zakarin. Sure. And what we try to do is to help
    children understand that violence is more than just a physical
    assault. Traditional schoolyard bullying, fighting is very
    different now and sometimes children do not realize that
    sitting in front of the computer screen and posting something
    and hitting ``enter'' is a form of violence, and that using
    your words to hurt someone or cause fear in someone is a form
    of violence; or destroying someone's property, even if you're
    not hurting them physically, is a form of violence.
        So in these conversations, it's important that we give
    young people a broader definition of what violence is and,
    also, hold young people responsible for their own behavior so
    that they're not perpetrating violence against others.
        Senator Whitehouse. Very good. Yes? Please, Ann.
        Ms. Burke. And as much as I agree wholeheartedly 100
    percent with what Ruth just said, that we need to take that
    comprehensive approach and especially starting early and there
    is the overlap, most of the similarity has to do with the power
    and control in the relationship.
        I think, though, that whatever we do to address the
    bullying situation, we cannot and must not let dating violence
    get lost in the shuffle, because there are some differences as
    it progresses.
        Abusers of dating violence usually have a problem with one
    person and one person only, and that's their romantic partner,
    and, generally, much of that abuse takes place in private.
    Oftentimes, we don't know who the abusers are. And that's why
    when you see episodes of domestic violence in the news, people
    will oftentimes say, ``I can't believe it. He seemed like such
    a nice person.'' You wouldn't guess that that person was being
    abusive to their romantic partner.
        In stark contrast to that, when we look at bullying,
    especially amongst young people, bullying is an overt behavior.
    In school, everybody knows who the bullies are and victims know
    that they're being victimized.
        They may not most often feel secure enough and faith enough
    to come forward and tell, but they do know that they're being
    victimized. When we look at dating violence, most victims of
    dating violence are not aware that they're victims of dating
    violence. They're not aware that they're being abused.
        So there are those differences and those are very
    significant differences. So whatever we do educationally for
    bullying, some of it in the early stages does certainly apply
    to dating violence, but as we enter the middle school years,
    we've got to address those issues both. We can't have them so
    enmeshed that dating violence gets lost, because then we'll end
    up back in the situation where we have victims not learning
    warning signs, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
        Senator Whitehouse. Good. Well, you all have just done
    wonderful work. And I want to assure you that as we go forward
    in Washington on these issues, that we will be in close touch
    with you. It is part of my job to bring the experience and
    wisdom of Rhode Island down to Washington and try to improve
    things there through the wisdom and experience that Rhode
    Islanders can bring to so many different issues.
        But on this one, I think, Rhode Island really has an
    enormous amount to be proud of. And even though a great deal of
    this leadership had its inception in tragedy, it is,
    nonetheless, inspiring for that, indeed, it is wonderfully
    inspiring because of that.
        And so I thank you very much and I look forward to working
    with you as we go forward. I just want to close with an
    expression of my very great pride in what you have done in
    Rhode Island and what you continue to do in Rhode Island every
    day.
        So without further ado, if there is anything that anybody
    wants to add, the hearing will be open for an additional week
    and they can send anything they would like in to my office and
    we will add it into the record of these proceedings, and the
    record of these proceedings will become part of the official
    legislative record of the Congress of the United States.
        So thank you very much for participating, and the hearing
    is adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 2:58 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
        [Submissions for the record follow.]

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