US Senate resolution below for 2010 National Teen
Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention MONTH!


S. Res. 373
  Whereas dating, domestic, and sexual violence affect women regardless of
their age, and teens and young women are especially vulnerable;
  Whereas, approximately 1 in 3 adolescent girls in the United States is a
victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a
figure that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence
affecting youth;
  Whereas nationwide, 1 in 10 high school students (9.9 percent) has been
hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend;
  Whereas more than 1 in 4 teenagers have been in a relationship where a
partner is verbally abusive;
  Whereas 20 percent of teen girls exposed to physical dating violence did
not attend school because the teen girls felt unsafe either at school, or
on the way to or from school, on 1 or more occasions in a 30-day period;
  Whereas violent relationships in adolescence can have serious
ramifications for victims by putting the victims at higher risk for
substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide, and
adult revictimization;
  Whereas being physically and sexually abused leaves teen girls up to 6
times more likely to become pregnant and more than 2 times as likely to
report a sexually transmitted disease;
  Whereas nearly 3 in 4 children ages 11 to 14 (referred to in this
preamble as ``tweens''), say that dating relationships usually begin at age
14 or younger and about 72 percent of eighth and ninth graders report
``dating'';
  Whereas 1 in 5 tweens say their friends are victims of dating violence
and nearly 1/2 of tweens who are in relationships know friends who are
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 teen dating abuse most often takes place in the home of 1 of the
partners;
  Whereas a majority of parents surveyed believe they have had a
conversation with their teen about what it means to be in a healthy
relationship, but the majority of teens surveyed said that they have not
had a conversation about dating abuse with a parent in the past year;
  Whereas digital abuse and ``sexting'' is becoming a new frontier for
teen dating abuse;
  Whereas 1 in 4 teens in a relationship say they have been called names,
harassed, or put down by their partner through cellphones and texting;
  Whereas 3 in 10 young people have sent or received nude pictures of
other young people on their cell or online, and 61 percent who have
``sexted'' report being pressured to do so at least once;
  Whereas targets of digital abuse are almost 3 times as likely to
contemplate suicide as those who have not encountered such abuse (8 percent
vs. 3 percent), and targets of digital abuse are nearly 3 times more likely
to have considered dropping out of school;
  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;
  Whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen
dating violence and many successful community examples include education,
community outreach, and social marketing campaigns that also understand the
cultural appropriateness of programs;
  Whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are also necessary
for youth 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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
    (1) designates the month of February 2010, as ``National Teen Dating
Violence Awareness and Prevention Month'';
    (2) supports communities to empower teens to develop healthier
relationships; and
    (3) calls upon the people of the United States, including youth and
parents, schools, law enforcement, State and local officials, and
interested groups to observe National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
Prevention Month with appropriate programs and activities that promote
awareness and prevention of the crime of teen dating violence in their
communities.

February 9. 2010

Dear Arthur,

In my vocation, I have seen two young women severely beaten by their boyfriends in public view.  What shocked me about the aftermath of one situation was the girl eventually married the abuser.   They promptly moved to Texas, and I hope the young woman is still alive.  The worst penalties 20 years ago for teen dating abuse:  a two day suspension from school.