,,iii #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ge ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #ab1 #bjae ,mr4 ,durbin 7for ,mr4 ,reid 7for himself1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse77 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,resolution ,designating the month of ,february #bjae1 as ,national ,teen ,dating ,violence ,awareness and ,prevention ,month4 ,whereas although dating violence1 domestic violence1 sexual violence1 and stalking affect women regardless of age1 teenage girls and young women are especially vulnerable2 ,whereas a #bjac survey by the ,center for ,disease ,control found that nearly #aj percent of high school students reported physical victimization and #aj percent reported sexual victimization from a dating partner in the #ab months before they were surveyed2 ,whereas according to the ,center for ,disease ,control1 nearly #a1ejj1jjj high school students experience physical abuse from a dating partner each year2 ,whereas a #aiig ,commonwealth ,fund survey found that more than of high school girls had been either sexually abused1 physically abused1 or abused by a date or boyfriend2 ,whereas the ,bureau of ,justice ,statistics found that females between the ages of #af and #bd experience intimate partner violence at a rate that is almost triple the national average2 ,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 young people2 ,whereas a #bjab study1 as part of an independent evaluation of ,start ,strong3 ,building ,healthy ,teen ,relationships1 an initiative aimed at building healthy relationships among middle school youth1 found that teen dating violence behaviors were common even among seventh grade students1 with nearly #a in #f students reporting physical dating violence2 ,whereas according to data from the ,youth ,risk ,behavior ,surveillance ,system1 almost #bj percent of teenage girls who were exposed to physical dating violence did not attend school on #a or more occasions during the #cj days preceding the survey because the girls felt unsafe at school or on the way to or from school2 ,whereas schools are unequipped to handle the issue of teen dating violence1 as a recent study by ,ball ,state ,university found that-- 7#a7 #ha percent of school counselors reported that they did not have a school protocol on how to respond to an incident of teen dating violence2 but 7#b7 #fa percent of school counselors 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 because victims of teen dating violence are-- 7#a7 at increased risk of mood and behavior problems as young adults2 and 7#b7 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 or sexually abused makes teenage girls up to #f times more likely to become pregnant and more than twice as likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease2 ,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 report 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 report having been called names1 harassed1 or put down by a partner through the use of a telephone1 including through 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 experienced relationship abuse failed to realize that they were in an abusive relationship at the time1 and #fj percent of college students who were in an abusive relationship said that no one stepped in to help them2 ,whereas the severity of violence among intimate partners has been shown to be greater in cases where a pattern of violence was established during adolescence2 ,whereas primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating violence1 and successful examples of these programs include education1 community outreach1 and social marketing campaigns that are culturally appropriate2 ,whereas educating middle school students and the parents of middle school students about the importance of building healthy relationships and preventing teen dating violence is key to deterring dating abuse before it begins2 ,whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are necessary for young victims and abusers2 and ,whereas the establishment of the month of ,february #bjae1 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 ,senate-- 7#a7 designates the month of ,february #bjae1 as ,national ,teen ,dating ,violence ,awareness and ,prevention ,month2 7#b7 supports communities that are empowering teenagers to develop healthier relationships throughout their lives2 and 7#c7 calls upon the people of the ,united ,states1 including young people1 parents1 schools1 law enforcement officials1 ,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