[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 5879-5880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02220]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 22 / Wednesday, February 3, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 5879]]


                Proclamation 9393 of January 29, 2016

                
National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and 
                Prevention Month, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Teen dating violence is a serious violation that can 
                affect a young person's safety, development, and sense 
                of comfort. Perpetrated by a current or past intimate 
                partner, dating violence takes many forms, including 
                physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, and can occur in 
                person or through electronic communication and social 
                media. Violent dating relationships can lead to 
                depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol use, and thoughts 
                of suicide, and victims may continue to experience 
                detrimental effects throughout their lives. During 
                National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention 
                Month, we recognize the urgency needed in addressing 
                this problem and recommit to preventing it by educating 
                our youth about its dangers and consequences, and 
                reaffirm the basic human right to be free from violence 
                and abuse.

                Dating violence may include physical force, such as 
                kicking, hitting, and shoving; emotional abuse, 
                consistent monitoring, and isolation; or sexual 
                assault. Dating violence can occur in any relationship, 
                whether it is casual and short-term or long-term and 
                monogamous, and any young person can experience dating 
                violence or other unhealthy relationship behaviors--
                regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual 
                orientation, or socioeconomic status. Approximately 1 
                in 10 teenagers reports being physically or sexually 
                victimized by a dating partner, and too many other 
                victims do not report it. The cycle of violence can 
                begin with anyone at any time, and as a society, we 
                must acknowledge that we each have a role to play in 
                teaching children about healthy relationships. In their 
                formative years, teens are influenced by their early 
                relationships, and the example set by those around them 
                can have lasting consequences.

                My Administration is working diligently to address teen 
                dating violence in a number of ways. Vice President Joe 
                Biden's 1is2many initiative is strengthening efforts to 
                reduce dating violence among those most vulnerable, 
                particularly young women between the ages of 16 and 24, 
                and is utilizing technology to engage students, teens, 
                and young adults in this cause. To build on our 
                efforts, I established the White House Task Force to 
                Protect Students from Sexual Assault. The Task Force 
                will, in addition to working to combat sexual violence 
                on college campuses, explore ways its recommendations 
                may apply to elementary and secondary schools across 
                our country. My Administration will keep forging a 
                future in which no teenager must suffer due to having 
                an abusive partner.

                All Americans have a role to play in ending dating 
                violence and fostering safe, healthy environments for 
                our young people. This month, let us seize our 
                responsibility to set positive examples for our 
                Nation's teenagers by celebrating and demonstrating 
                healthy relationships, and let us recommit to ensuring 
                all people who may be in an abusive relationship have 
                access to help and support. Together, we can reach a 
                day when no young person knows the pain caused by 
                dating violence.

                If you or someone you know is involved in an abusive 
                relationship of any kind, you can get immediate and 
                confidential support by calling

[[Page 5880]]

                1-866-331-9474, texting ``LoveIs'' to 22522, or 
                visiting LoveIsRespect.org. For additional information 
                and resources on dating violence, please visit 
                VetoViolence.CDC.gov.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim February 2016 as 
                National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention 
                Month. I call upon all Americans to support efforts in 
                their communities and schools, and in their own 
                families, to empower young people to develop healthy 
                relationships throughout their lives and to engage in 
                activities that prevent and respond to teen dating 
                violence.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-02220
Filed 2-2-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P