IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 128
Expressing support for designation of the month of February 2025 as
‘‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month’’.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY12, 2025
Ms. M
OOREof Wisconsin (for herself, Mrs. DINGELL, and Mr. FITZPATRICK)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for designation of the month of February
2025 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;
Whereas technology-facilitated abuse includes, but is not lim-
ited to, cyber extortion, cyberstalking, and doxing;
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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
rape victims experienced their first rape before the age of
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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 and the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2022, includes the SMART Teen Dating Violence
Awareness and Prevention Act, which improves the co-
ordination and effectiveness of programs to address abu-
sive youth relationships;
Whereas skilled assessment and intervention programs are
necessary for youth victims and abusers; and
Whereas the establishment of the month of February 2025
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
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(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
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