HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 69

(By Delegates Poore, Moore, Doyle, Guthrie, M. Poling,

Miley, Ireland, Barill, Boggs, Brown, Butcher, Cann, Caputo, Diserio, Ellem, Ferns, Ferro, Fleischauer, Fragale, Frazier, Givens, Hall, Hamilton, Hartman, Hatfield, Hunt, Iaquinta, Jones, Lawrence, Longstreth, Manchin, Manypenny, Marcum, Marshall, Martin, C. Miller, Moye, Paxton, Perdue, Perry, Pethtel, L. Phillips, R. Phillips, Pino, D. Poling, Rodighiero, Shaver, Skaff, Sobonya, Stagger, Stephens, Stowers, Sumner, Swartzmiller, Varner, Wells and White)

Recognizing the month of February, 2012, as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month" encouraging all West Virginians to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities that promote awareness and prevention of the crime of teen dating violence in their communities.

    Whereas, Teenage dating violence is a serious and growing problem throughout West Virginia; and

    Whereas, Dating, domestic and sexual violence affects women regardless of their age, and teens and young women are especially vulnerable; and

    Whereas, Approximately one in three 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; and

    Whereas, Nationwide, one in ten high school students has been hit, slapped or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend; and

    Whereas, More than one in four teenagers have been in a relationship where a partner is verbally abusive; and

    Whereas, Twenty percent of teen girls exposed to physical dating violence did not attend school because they felt unsafe, either at school or on the way to or from school, on one or more occasions in a thirty-day period; and

    Whereas, Violent relationships during 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; and

    Whereas, Being physically and sexually abused leaves teen girls up to six times more likely to become pregnant and more than twice as likely to report having a sexually transmitted disease; and

    Whereas, Nearly three out of four children between eleven and fourteen years of age ("tweens"), say that dating relationships usually begin at fourteen years of age or younger, and about seventy-two percent of eighth and ninth grade pupils report that they are "dating"; and

    Whereas, One out of five tweens say their friends are victims of dating violence and nearly half of tweens who are in relationships know friends who have been verbally abused; and

    Whereas, More than three times as many tweens and parents of tweens admit that parents know little or nothing about the dating relationships of tweens; and

    Whereas, Teen dating abuse most often takes place in the home of one of the partners; and

    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 during the past year; and

    Whereas, Digital abuse and "sexting," the electronic distribution of pictures, videos, or text messages that are sexually explicit, are becoming new frontiers for teen dating abuse; and

    Whereas, One out of four teens in a relationship say they have

been called names, harassed or put down by their partner through the use of cell phones or texting; and

    Whereas, Three out of ten young people have sent or received nude pictures of other young people on their cell phone or online, and sixty-one percent who have "sexted" report being pressured to do so at least once; and

    Whereas, Targets of digital abuse are almost three times as likely to contemplate suicide as those who have not encountered such abuse (eight percent versus three percent), and targets of digital abuse are nearly three times more likely to have considered dropping out of school; and

    Whereas, The severity of violence among intimate partners has been shown to be greater in cases where the pattern of violence has been established during adolescence; and

    Whereas, Primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating violence, and many successful community examples include, but are not limited to, education, community outreach and social marketing campaigns that also understand the cultural appropriateness of programs; and

    Whereas, Skilled assessment and intervention programs are also

necessary for youth victims and abusers; and

    Whereas, The establishment of a National Teen Dating Violence

Awareness and Prevention Month will benefit schools, communities, families, and youth, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity of all youth; and

    Whereas, Governmental organizations, private organizations, and public officials, as well as families and youth, must work together to raise awareness of the high incidence of teen dating violence and to promote prevention strategies; therefore, be it

    Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That the House of Delegates hereby recognizes the month of February, 2012, as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month"; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the House of Delegates supports communities in empowering teens to develop healthy and violence-free relationships; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the House of Delegates encourages all West Virginians 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; and, be it

    Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this Resolution to all schools in West Virginia and all other appropriate organizations.