Title
Designating the month of February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Dating, domestic, and sexual violence affect women regardless of age, and teens and young women are especially vulnerable; 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, Technologies such as cell phones and the Internet have made dating abuse both more pervasive and more hidden; and
WHEREAS, Thirty percent of teenagers report digital abuse, which along with sexting, is becoming a new frontier for teen dating abuse; and
WHEREAS, Seventy-two percent of teenagers who reported that they had been monitored by a boyfriend or girlfriend ten times per hour by e-mail or text messaging did not tell their parents and many parents are largely unaware of the cell phone and Internet harassment experienced by teenagers; 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, Primary prevention programs are a key part of addressing teen dating violence and many successful community examples include education, community outreach, and social marketing campaigns that also understand the cultural appropriateness of programs; and
WHEREAS, The establishment of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Philadelphia will benefit schools, communities, and families regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or sex; now, therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council hereby designates February 2010 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in the City.
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