IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 114 

Expressing support for designation of the month of February 2015 as 

‘‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2015 

Mr. LEWIS (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. SPEIER, and Mr. 

HASTINGS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for designation of the month of February 

2015 as ‘‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and 

Prevention Month’’. 

Whereas while dating violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking affect women regardless of age, teens 

and young women are especially vulnerable; 

Whereas, according to a National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey of the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC), most rape and intimate partner 

violence is first experienced before age 24; 

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 by a dating partner, a rate that 


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far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence 

affecting youth; 

Whereas, according to the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) of the CDC, nearly 10 percent of 

high school students have been hit, slapped, or physically 

hurt by a dating partner in the past year; 

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, finds teen dating violence common 

even among 7th grade students, with nearly 1 in 6 reporting physical dating violence; 

Whereas, according to data from the YRBSS, almost 20 percent of teen girls who were exposed to physical dating violence did not attend school on 1 or more occasions during the past 30 days due to feeling unsafe at school or 

on the way to or from school; 

Whereas schools are unequipped to handle the issue, as a recent study by Ball State University found that 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 61 percent reported that they 

had assisted victims of teen dating violence in the past 

2 years; 

Whereas a study published in Pediatrics suggests that teen 

dating violence is a substantial public health problem as 

victims of teen dating violence are at increased risk of 

mood and behavioral problems as young adults, and at 

increased risk of future violence in relationships; 

Whereas girls victimized by a teen boyfriend reported more 

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cide, 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 and sexually abused leaves teen 

girls up to 6 times more likely to become pregnant and 

more than twice as likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease; 

Whereas more than 3 times as many teens (20 percent) as 

parents of teens (6 percent) admit that parents know little or nothing about the dating relationships of tweens; 

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 the warning signs 

of abuse; 

Whereas 74 percent of teenage boys and 66 percent of teenage girls say 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 say that they have 

been called names, harassed, or put down by their partner through phone calls and 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 were in an abusive relationship failed to realize that they were in an 

abusive relationship, and 60 percent of such students 

said that no one stepped in to help them when they were 

in an abusive relationship; 


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Whereas the severity of violence among intimate partners has 

been shown to be greater in cases where the pattern of 

violence was established in adolescence; 

Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating violence, and many successful examples of such programs include education, community outreach, and social marketing campaigns that are culturally 

appropriate; 

Whereas educating middle school students and their parents 

about the importance of building healthy relationships 

and preventing teen dating violence is key to deterring 

abuse before it begins; 

Whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are 

necessary for youth 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, and sex: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Teen 

3 Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’; 

4 (2) supports communities in empowering teens 

5 to develop healthy relationships throughout their 

6 lives; and 

7 (3) calls on the people of the United States, in8 cluding youth, parents, schools, law enforcement, 

9 State and local officials, and interested groups to ob10 serve National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and 


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1 Prevention Month with appropriate programs and 

2 activities that promote awareness and prevention of 

3 teen dating violence in their communities. 

Æ 


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