BILL NUMBER: ACR 100 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Jones
JANUARY 4, 2010
Relative to teen dating violence.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 100, as introduced, Jones. Teen dating violence.
This measure would recognize the month of February 2010 as
"National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month" and
would encourage all Californians to observe the month with
appropriate programs and activities that promote awareness and
prevention of the crime of teen dating violence in their communities.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, Teenage dating violence is a serious and growing problem
throughout California; 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 10 high school students (9.9 percent)
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 the teen girls felt unsafe,
either at school or on the way to or from school, on one or more
occasions in a 30-day period; and
WHEREAS, In a study of California high school pupils, 7 percent of
11th graders indicated that they were victims of teenage dating
violence within the last 12 months; 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 11 and 14 years
of age (referred to hereafter as "tweens"), say that dating
relationships usually begin at 14 years of age or younger, and about
72 percent of 8th and 9th grade pupils report "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 are verbally abused; and
WHEREAS, More than three 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; 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 in 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 10 young people have sent or received nude
pictures of other young people on their cell phone or online, and 61
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
(8 percent vs. 3 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; 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; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the month of
February 2010 as "National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
Prevention Month"; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature supports communities in empowering
teens to develop healthy and violence-free relationships; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Legislature encourages all Californians 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 Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.