Expressing support for designation of the month of February 2021 as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month".

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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:16 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR140.IH HR140 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 140 IH 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:16 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR140.IH HR140 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 140 IH 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, VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:16 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR140.IH HR140 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 140 IH 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 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Teen 2 Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’; 3 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:16 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR140.IH HR140 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 140 IH (2) supports communities in empowering teens 1 to develop healthy relationships throughout their 2 lives; 3 (3) recognizes the national impact of teen dat- 4 ing violence on public health and its specific and dis- 5 proportionate impact on young women; and 6 (4) calls on the people of the United States, in- 7 cluding youth, parents, schools, law enforcement, 8 State and local officials, nonprofit organizations, and 9 interested groups to observe National Teen Dating 10 Violence Awareness and Prevention Month with ap- 11 propriate programs and activities that promote 12 awareness and prevention of teen dating violence in 13 communities across the country. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:16 Feb 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR140.IH HR140 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS