Assembly Resolution No. 733

BY: M. of A. Cusick

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
February 2020, as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
Prevention Month in the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
official months that are set aside to increase awareness of serious
issues that affect the lives of our teens and young adults from the
State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and fully in accord with its
long-standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2020, as Teen
Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month in the State of New York,
in conjunction with National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
Prevention Month; and

WHEREAS, Domestic violence is a serious problem, and not just an
adult problem; teens also experience abuse in their relationships; in
fact, according to a report in 2006 by the Center for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide
experience physical abuse from a dating partner every year; and

WHEREAS, Dating violence refers to a pattern of actual or threatened
acts of physical and/or emotional abuse perpetrated by an adolescent
against a current or former dating partner; and

WHEREAS, Abuse may include insults, coercion, social sabotage,
threats, and/or acts of physical abuse; the abusive teen uses this
pattern of violent and coercive behavior in order to gain power and
maintain control over the dating partner; and

WHEREAS, The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence found
that girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the
highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national
average; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 1.5 million high school students in the United
States are physically abused by dating partners every year; and

WHEREAS, Females are more likely to be the victims; 1 in 4 women
have been assaulted by a partner; men are also at risk: 1 in 14 men
report being victims; and

WHEREAS, Regardless of sex, it is likely that abusive relationships
are underreported due to the nature of the problem; and

WHEREAS, 1 in 3 female teenagers in a dating relationship has feared
for her physical safety; and

WHEREAS, 1 in 2 teenagers in a serious relationship has compromised
personal beliefs to please a partner; and

WHEREAS, 1 in 5 teenagers in a serious relationship reports having
been hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner; and

WHEREAS, 27 percent of teenagers have been in dating relationships
in which their partners called them names or put them down; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 70% of college students say they have been
sexually coerced; and

WHEREAS, Unfortunately, only 33% of teenagers who were in a violent
relationship ever told anyone about the abuse; and

WHEREAS, Technologies such as cell phones and the Internet have made
dating abuse both more pervasive and more hidden; and

WHEREAS, 30 percent of teenagers who have been in a dating
relationship say they have been text-messaged between 10 and 30 times
per hour by a partner seeking to find out where they are, what they are
doing, or who they are with; and

WHEREAS, 72 percent of teenagers who reported they had been checked
up on by a boyfriend or girlfriend 10 times per hour by email or text
messaging did not tell their parents; and

WHEREAS, Parents are largely unaware of the cell phone and Internet
harassment experienced by teenagers; and

WHEREAS, Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious
ramifications for victims, putting them at higher risk for substance
abuse, eating disorders, suicide, and adult revictimization; and

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

WHEREAS, The establishment of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and
Prevention Month will benefit schools, communities, and families
regardless of socio-economic status, race, or gender; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes the efforts of all those
who raise awareness and educate others about the very real dangers of
teen dating violence, thereby improving the quality of life for our
youth, our most precious resource; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2020, as Teen
Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month in the State of New York;
and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.