[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 31, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 362--DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2012 AS 
    ``NATIONAL TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH''

  Mr. CRAPO (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 362

       Whereas, although dating violence, domestic violence, 
     sexual violence, and stalking affect women regardless of age, 
     teenage girls and young women are especially vulnerable;
       Whereas, according to the National Intimate Partner and 
     Sexual Violence survey recently conducted by the Centers for 
     Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this preamble 
     as the ``CDC''), the majority of victimization starts early 
     in life, as most victims of rape and intimate partner 
     violence first experience such violence before age 24;
       Whereas, according to the Liz Claiborne Inc. 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 young people;
       Whereas, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance 
     System (referred to in this preamble as the ``YRBSS'') of the 
     CDC, nearly 10 percent of high school students have been hit, 
     slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or 
     girlfriend during 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 a survey conducted by the YRBSS, 
     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 a violent relationship in adolescence can have 
     serious ramifications for the victim, putting the victim at 
     higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky 
     sexual behavior, suicide, and adult revictimization;
       Whereas being physically or sexually abused makes teenage 
     girls--
       (1) up to 6 times more likely to become pregnant; and
       (2) more than twice as likely to contract a sexually 
     transmitted disease;
       Whereas, according to a recent study published in the 
     Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, more than 
     half of teenagers and young adults treated at an inner-city 
     emergency room reported having 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 
     approximately 72 percent of students in eighth or ninth grade 
     report dating;
       Whereas 1 in 5 tweens report having a friend who is a 
     victim of dating violence, and nearly half of tweens who are 
     in relationships know a friend who is 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 the Liz Claiborne Inc. 2009 Parent/
     Teen Dating Violence Poll, although 82 percent of parents are 
     confident that they could recognize the signs that their 
     child was experiencing dating abuse, a majority of parents, 
     or 58 percent, could not correctly identify all the warning 
     signs of dating abuse;
       Whereas 74 percent of teenage boys and 66 percent of 
     teenage girls say 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 during 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 cell phone, including through 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 the Liz Claiborne Inc. 2010 College 
     Dating Violence and Abuse Poll, 43 percent of college women 
     who date report experiencing violent and abusive dating 
     behavior;
       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 
     such programs include education, community outreach, and 
     social marketing campaigns that are culturally appropriate;
       Whereas educating middle school students and the parents of 
     those 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 
     also necessary for young 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 Senate--
       (1) designates the month of February 2012 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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