[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1006-S1007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 75--DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2015, AS 
    ``NATIONAL TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH''

  Mr. DURBIN (for Mr. Reid of Nevada (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse)) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary:

                               S. Res. 75

       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;

[[Page S1007]]

       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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