[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 132 (Tuesday, October 18, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S11482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 275--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2006 AS 
    ``NATIONAL TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION WEEK''

  Mr. CRAPO (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
Akaka, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Biden) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary.

                              S. Res. 275

       Whereas 1 in 3 female high school students reports being 
     physically abused or sexually abused by a dating partner;
       Whereas over 40 percent of male and female high school 
     students surveyed had been victims of dating violence at 
     least once;
       Whereas violent relationships in adolescence can have 
     serious ramifications for victims, who are at higher risk for 
     substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, 
     suicide, and adult re-victimization;
       Whereas the severity of violence among intimate partners 
     has been shown to increase if the pattern was established in 
     adolescence;
       Whereas 81 percent of parents surveyed either believed 
     dating violence is not a problem or admitted they did not 
     know it is a problem; and
       Whereas the establishment of a ``National Teen Dating 
     Violence Awareness and Prevention Week'' will benefit 
     schools, communities, and families regardless of socio-
     economic status, race, or gender: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of February 6, 2006 as ``National 
     Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week''; and
       (2) calls on the people of the United States, especially 
     high schools, law enforcement, local, and State officials, 
     and interested groups to observe the week with appropriate 
     activities that promote awareness and prevention of the crime 
     of teen dating violence in our communities.

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution in a critical 
and too often overlooked subject--teen dating violence. For many 
decades the tragic crime of domestic violence in the United States went 
largely unacknowledged by the public face that our society wears. 
Behind smiling couples and seemingly carefree children lurked something 
that was better left unspoken, or so many were convinced. Fortunately, 
in recent years, this dreadful violence that makes a home a prison 
where rights, human dignity and freedom are eclipsed by fear and rage 
is now something that society is more willing to acknowledge, talk 
about and report to proper authorities. As we expose domestic violence 
to the light of truth and hold perpetrators accountable for their 
violent actions and destructive words, it is important to address the 
reality of the transgenerational nature of this crime within families.
  I've always liked the adage, ``Children learn what they live.'' Never 
is this more true than in the case of abuse and domestic violence. When 
children begin to enter their teen years, the relationship norms they 
learned watching those in parental roles become their own. The results 
in many junior high, high schools, and colleges across our Nation are 
chilling: 20 percent of surveyed male students reported witnessing 
someone they go to high school with physically hit a person they were 
dating; 58 percent of rape victims report having been raped between the 
ages of 12-24; 81 percent of parents surveyed either believe teen 
dating violence is not an issue or admit they don't know if it is an 
issue; There is a clear link between adolescent dating violence and 
adult marital violence.
  Clearly, the crime of teen dating violence, including physical, 
emotional, and sexual assault, is a reality for many American 
teenagers. Like drug abuse, it's a reality of which many parents are 
unaware. It makes sense to have the people most affected by this 
insidious disease leading the efforts to raise awareness of and prevent 
the further spread of it.
  The Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Initiative is a 
movement spearheaded by teenagers across the nation to make a stand and 
put a stop to teen dating violence. Led by the American Bar 
Association's Steering Committee on the Unmet Needs of Children and co-
sponsored by dozens of other organizations, teenagers from 20 State 
Teams attended a national awareness and education summit in 2004. At 
that time, they developed Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness 
Toolkits to distribute to high schools across the Nation in conjunction 
with a proposed National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention 
Week in early 2006.
  Today, I am submitting a resolution declaring February 6-10, 2006, 
National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. Many 
governors, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice 
have already pledged to work with the goals and activities that are 
part of the Initiative. This resolution calls on government 
representatives and agencies, private organizations and public 
officials to promote activities in their respective communities that 
raise awareness of the high incidence of teen dating violence that 
occurs among our teens every day, as well as prevention strategies. I 
thank my colleagues, Senators Cantwell, Murray, Lieberman, Murkowski, 
Durbin, Akaka and Biden in joining me in raising awareness of the 
problem. This is one major step we can take toward the goal of 
eliminating the tragedy of children hurting children, and I am 
privileged to be in a position to help lead this effort.

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