,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ic ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #bh1 #bjac ,mr4 ,lewis 7for himself and ,ms4 ,moore7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,expressing support for designation of the month of ,february #bjac as ,national ,teen ,dating ,violence ,awareness and ,prevention ,month4 ,whereas while dating violence1 domestic violence1 sexual violence1 and stalking affect women regardless of age1 teens and young women are especially vulnerable2 ,whereas according to a ,national ,intimate ,partner and ,sexual ,violence survey by the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7,,cdc71 the majority of victimization starts early in life as most rape and intimate partner violence is first experienced before age #bd2 ,whereas in #bjjh1 the ,national ,council on ,crime and ,delinquency reported that approximately #a in #c adolescent girls in the ,united ,states is a victim of physical1 emotional1 or verbal abuse from a dating partner1 a rate that far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence affecting youth2 ,whereas according to the ,youth ,risk ,behavior ,surveillance ,system 7,,yrbss7 of the ,,cdc1 nearly #aj percent of high school students have been hit1 slapped1 or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year2 ,whereas a #bjab study as part of an independent evaluation of ,start ,strong3 ,building ,healthy ,teen ,relationships1 an initiative aimed at building healthy relationships among middle school youth1 finds teen dating violence behaviors common even among #gth-grade students with nearly one in six reporting physical dating violence2 ,whereas according to data from the ,,yrbss1 almost #bj percent of teen girls who were exposed to physical dating violence did not attend school on #a or more occasions during the past #cj days due to feeling unsafe at school or on the way to or from school2 ,whereas schools are unequipped to handle the issue1 as a recent study by ,ball ,state ,university found that #ha percent of school counselors reported that they did not have a school protocol on how to respond to an incident of teen dating violence but #fa percent reported that they had assisted victims of dating-related violence in the past #b years1 despite a lack of formal training for some of the counselors2 ,whereas a study published in ,pediatrics suggests that teen dating violence is a substantial public health problem as victims of teen dating violence are at increased risk of mood and behavior problems as young adults1 and at increased risk for future violent relationships2 ,whereas girls victimized by a teen boyfriend reported more heavy drinking1 smoking1 depression1 and thoughts of suicide1 and teens of both sexes who were in aggressive relationships were #b to #c times more likely to be in violent relationships as young adults2 ,whereas being physically and sexually abused leaves teen girls up to #f times more likely to become pregnant and more than twice as likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease2 ,whereas more than #c times as many tweens 7#bj percent7 as parents of tweens 7#f percent7 admit that parents know little or nothing about the dating relationships of tweens2 ,whereas according to the #bjji ,parent_/,teen ,dating ,violence ,poll by ,liz ,claiborne ,inc41 although #hb percent of parents are confident that they could recognize the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse1 #eh percent of parents could not correctly identify all of the warning signs of abuse2 ,whereas #gd percent of teenage boys and #ff percent of teenage girls say that they have not had a conversation with a parent about dating abuse in the past year2 ,whereas #a in #d teens in a relationship say that they have been called names1 harassed1 or put down by their partner through telephones and texting2 ,whereas according to the #bjaj ,college ,dating ,violence and ,abuse ,poll by ,liz ,claiborne ,inc41 #dc percent of college women who date report experiencing abusive dating behaviors2 ,whereas #gj percent of college students who were in an abusive relationship failed to realize that they were in an abusive relationship1 and #fj percent of such students said that no one stepped in to help them when they were in an abusive relationship2 ,whereas the severity of violence among intimate partners has been shown to be greater in cases where the pattern of violence was established in adolescence2 ,whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating violence1 and many successful examples of such programs include education1 community outreach1 and social marketing campaigns that are culturally appropriate2 ,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 begins2 ,whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are necessary for youth victims and abusers2 and ,whereas the establishment of the month of ,february #bjac as ,national ,teen ,dating ,violence ,awareness and ,prevention ,month will benefit schools1 communities1 and families regardless of socioeconomic status1 race1 or sex3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 supports the designation ,national ,teen ,dating ,violence ,awareness and ,prevention ,month2 7#b7 supports communities in empowering teens to develop healthy relationships throughout their lives2 and 7#c7 calls on the people of the ,united ,states1 including youth1 parents1 schools1 law enforcement1 ,state and local officials1 and interested groups to observe ,national ,teen ,dating ,violence ,awareness and ,prevention ,month with appropriate programs and activities that promote awareness and prevention of teen dating violence in their communities4