IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 140 
Expressing support for designation of the month of February 2021 as 
‘‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 18, 2021 
Ms. WEXTON (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. HINSON, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. 
DEAN, Mr. REED, Ms. NORTON, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. CARSON, 
Mr. COOPER, Ms. TITUS, Mr. KHANNA, and Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for designation of the month of February 
2021 as ‘‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and 
Prevention Month’’. 
Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (in this resolution referred to as the ‘‘CDC’’), 
teen dating violence includes 4 types of behavior: (1) 
physical violence, (2) sexual violence, (3) psychological 
aggression, and (4) stalking; 
Whereas according to the National Institute of Justice and 
Statistics, technology-facilitated abuse is a growing social 
malady contributing to increased psychological aggression 
among teens; 
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Whereas technology-facilitated abuse includes, but is not lim-
ited to, cyber extortion, cyberstalking, and doxing; 
Whereas according to the Cyberbullying Research Center, 
over one quarter (28.1 percent) of teens who had been in 
a romantic relationship at some point in the previous 
year said they had been the victim of at least one form 
of digital dating abuse; 
Whereas while dating violence, domestic violence, sexual vio-
lence, and stalking affect individuals regardless of age, 
teens are especially vulnerable; 
Whereas according to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 
almost half (44.3 percent) of teens experienced at least 
one type of violence and 1 in 7 (15.6 percent) of teens 
experienced at least two types of violence; 
Whereas 1 in 9 female and 1 in 36 male high school students 
report having experienced sexual dating violence in the 
last year; 
Whereas the CDC reported that nearly 1 in 11 female teens 
and about 1 in 15 male teens reported experiencing phys-
ical dating violence in the last year; 
Whereas teaching teens about the consequences of intimate 
partner violence and supporting the development of 
healthy, respectful, and nonviolent relationships have the 
potential to decrease teen dating violence in future gen-
erations; 
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 according to a National Intimate Partner and Sex-
ual Violence Survey of the CDC, 80 percent of female 
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rape victims experienced their first rape before the age of 
25, and almost half experienced their first rape before 
the age of 18; 
Whereas according to the same National Intimate Partner 
and Sexual Violence Survey, 26 percent of women and 15 
percent of men who were victims of contact sexual vio-
lence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate part-
ner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms 
of violence by that partner before the age of 18; 
Whereas approximately 35 percent of women who were raped 
as minors were also raped as adults; 
Whereas developing healthy relationship practices and stand-
ards in youth under the age of 18 can be critical to elimi-
nating sexual violence and other forms of intimate part-
ner violence; 
Whereas teen dating violence is a preventable public health 
crisis that can negatively impact teens and youth in all 
parts of the United States; 
Whereas teens who have experienced dating violence are more 
than twice as likely as others to consider suicide; 
Whereas the CDC indicates that there are several community 
factors, such as poverty, low capital, such as lack of insti-
tutions, relationships, and norms that shape a commu-
nity’s social interactions, poor neighborhood support and 
cohesion, weak community sanctions against intimate 
partner violence, and high alcohol outlet density, that 
place individuals at greater risk for perpetrating intimate 
partner violence; 
Whereas the CDC also indicates that community factors, 
such as neighborhood collective efficacy, and coordination 
of resources and services among community agencies, 
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may reduce an individual’s risk of perpetrating intimate 
partner violence; 
Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of ad-
dressing teen dating violence, and many successful exam-
ples of such programs include education, community out-
reach, and social marketing campaigns that are culturally 
appropriate; 
Whereas evidence-based programs such as the ‘‘Coaching 
Boys Into Men’’ program have demonstrated that teach-
ing adolescent men how to have healthy and nonviolent 
relationships may increase positive bystander behavior 
and prevent men from becoming perpetrators of teen dat-
ing violence; 
Whereas the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, as 
amended by the Violence Against Women Reauthoriza-
tion Act of 2013, includes the SMART Teen Dating Vio-
lence Awareness and Prevention Act, which improves the 
coordination and effectiveness of existing programs to ad-
dress abusive youth relationships; 
Whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are 
necessary for youth victims and abusers; and 
Whereas the establishment of the month of February 2021 
as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Preven-
tion Month will benefit schools, communities, and families 
regardless of socioeconomic status, race, and sex: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Teen 
Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’; 
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(2) supports communities in empowering teens 
to develop healthy relationships throughout their 
lives; 
(3) recognizes the national impact of teen dat-
ing violence on public health and its specific and dis-
proportionate impact on young women; and 
(4) calls on the people of the United States, in-
cluding youth, parents, schools, law enforcement, 
State and local officials, nonprofit organizations, and 
interested groups to observe National Teen Dating 
Violence Awareness and Prevention Month with ap-
propriate programs and activities that promote 
awareness and prevention of teen dating violence in 
communities across the country. 
Æ 
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