III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 362 

Designating the month of February 2012 as ‘‘National Teen Dating Violence 

Awareness and Prevention Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 31, 2012 

Mr. CRAPO (for himself and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the month of February 2012 as ‘‘National Teen 

Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’. 

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, 


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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 innerVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:42 Jan 31, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR362.ATS SR362

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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; 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) designates the month of February 2012 as 

2 ‘‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Pre3 vention Month’’; 

4 (2) supports communities that are empowering 

5 teenagers to develop healthier relationships through6 out their lives; and 

7 (3) calls upon the people of the United States, 

8 including young people, parents, schools, law en9 forcement officials, State and local officials, and in10 terested groups to observe National Teen Dating Vi11 olence Awareness and Prevention Month with appro12 priate programs and activities that promote aware13 ness and prevention of teen dating violence in their 

14 communities. 

Æ 


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