THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	24
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

DESIGNATING THE FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY 2009 AS HAWAII TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION WEEK.

     WHEREAS, one in three female teenagers in a dating relationship has feared for her physical safety when with a partner; and

     WHEREAS, one in two teenagers in a serious relationship reports having compromised personal beliefs to please a partner; and

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

     WHEREAS, twenty-seven per cent of teenagers have been in dating relationships in which their partners called them names or "put them down"; and

     WHEREAS, twenty-nine per cent of girls who have been in a relationship said that they have been pressured to have sex or to engage in sexual activities that they did not want; and

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

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

     WHEREAS, seventy-two per cent of teenagers who reported  that they had been checked up on by a boyfriend or girlfriend ten times or more 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, cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and political barriers prevent Asian women from seeking help in abusive situations; and

     WHEREAS, seven domestic violence related homicides were reported in 2000 in Hawaii, with a disproportionately high rate of those women being of Filipino descent; and

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

     WHEREAS, the establishment of Hawaii Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week will benefit schools, communities, and families regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or sex; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature designates the first week of February 2009 as "Hawaii Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week"; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature calls upon the people of Hawaii, high schools, law enforcement, state and local officials, and interested groups to observe Hawaii Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week 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 certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Superintendent of Education, the President of the University of Hawaii, the Director of Health, the Attorney General, the mayor of each county, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Report Title: 

Domestic Violence; Adolescents