H. Res. 103 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
February 3, 2009. 
Whereas communities across the country carry out activities 
to raise awareness about teen dating violence during the 
week of February 2 through February 6, 2009; 
Whereas 1 in 11 adolescents reports being a victim of phys-
ical dating violence; 
Whereas 1 in 5 teenagers in a serious relationship reports 
having been hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner; 
Whereas 1 in 3 female teenagers in a dating relationship has 
feared for her physical safety; 
Whereas more than 1 in 4 teenagers have been in a relation-
ship where a partner is verbally abusive; 
Whereas 27 percent of teenagers have been in dating rela-
tionships in which their partners called them names or 
put them down; 
Whereas 40 percent of the youngest teens, those between the 
ages of 11 and 12, report that they have friends who are 
victims of verbal abuse in dating relationships; 
Whereas 1 in 5 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 14 say 
they have friends who are victims of dating violence; 
Whereas 1 in 2 teenagers in a serious relationship has com-
promised personal beliefs to please a partner;
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Whereas 29 percent of girls who have been in a relationship 
said that they have been pressured to have sex or to en-
gage in sexual activities that they did not want; 
Whereas technologies such as cell phones and the Internet 
have made dating abuse more pervasive and more hidden; 
Whereas 30 percent of teenagers who have been in a dating 
relationship say that they have been text-messaged be-
tween 10 and 30 times per hour by a partner seeking to 
find out where they are, what they are doing, or who they 
are with; 
Whereas 72 percent of teenagers who reported that they had 
been checked up on by a boyfriend or girlfriend 10 times 
per hour or more by email or text messaging did not tell 
their parents; 
Whereas parents are largely unaware of the cell phone and 
Internet harassment experienced by teenagers; 
Whereas nearly 3 in 4 teens say that dating relationships 
usually begin at age 14 or younger; 
Whereas 69 percent of all teenagers who had sex by age 14 
said they have experienced 1 or more types of abuse in 
a dating relationship; 
Whereas violent relationships in adolescence can have serious 
ramifications for victims, putting them at higher risk for 
substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, 
suicide, and revictimization as adults; 
Whereas the severity of violence among intimate partners has 
been shown to be greater in cases where the pattern of 
violence has been established in adolescence; and 
Whereas National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Pre-
vention Week benefits schools, communities, families, and
•HRES 103 EH 
individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or 
sex: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Teen 
Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week to 
raise awareness of teen dating violence in the Nation; 
(2) encourages the people of the United States, 
State and local officials, middle schools and high schools, 
law enforcement agencies, and other interested groups to 
observe National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and 
Prevention Week with appropriate programs and activi-
ties that promote awareness that teen dating violence is 
a crime and to encourage efforts to prevent and deter it; 
and 
(3) supports a reexamination of the Nation’s crimi-
nal and civil laws regarding teen dating violence to en-
sure that such laws create an effective deterrent. 
Attest: 
Clerk.