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To honor the National Council of Jewish Women, Columbus Section, for their tireless efforts in helping reduce teen dating abuse and to recognize the first week of February as National Teen Dating Abuse Prevention Week.
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WHEREAS, Congress has proclaimed February 2 through 6 as National Teen Dating Abuse Prevention Week; and
WHEREAS, one in every three teenagers will experience an abusive dating relationship by the time they graduate from high school or college, and 10 percent of adolescents report being physically abused by a romantic partner; and
WHEREAS, research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that dating abuse victims are more likely to engage in binge drinking, suicide attempts, physical fights and sexual activity, as well as having double the likelihood of using drugs, alcohol and tobacco; and
WHEREAS, teen dating violence can happen to anyone, anywhere regardless of race, religious, economic background, gender or sexual orientation; and
WHEREAS, the National Council of Jewish Women, Columbus Section, has initiated a community-wide effort to prevent teen dating abuse through its Love Shouldn't Hurt program; and
WHEREAS, Love Shouldn't Hurt provides a video and discussion, led by trained NCJW volunteers, that help students identify the warning signs of abusive relationships, the foundations of healthy relationships and a safe strategy to break free from harmful relationships; and
WHEREAS, Love Shouldn't Hurt offers students the resources they need to deal with this potentially life-threatening issue, including a pocket-sized resource card with contact information for one-on-one assistance through the National Teen Dating Abuse 24/7 Helpline - 866-331-9474 and a website - loveisrespect.org - that can both be accessed anonymously for assistance; and
WHEREAS, the National Council of Jewish Women, Columbus Section, has also launched a public awareness program to reach teens, parents, educators and the general public, with billboards, newspaper ads, public service announcements and posters; and
WHEREAS, the National Council of Jewish Women, Columbus Section, is working with state officials to advocate for stronger public policy efforts related to teen dating abuse, including legislation mandating teen dating abuse information within the health education curricula across the state; and stronger laws to protect teens from relationship violence; and
WHEREAS, the National Council of Jewish Women is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters and volunteers nationwide, and over 600 members and volunteers in the greater Columbus area; now therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council recognizes the important work of the National Council of Jewish Women in helping reduce teen dating abuse violence and hereby declares the first week of February as Teen Dating Abuse Prevention Week in the City of Columbus.